But first-
I just finished taking my general surgery boards. Fingers crossed that I passed- because it's not something I'd like to do again.

So now I am catching up with email- got this from the American College of Surgeons the other day.
Now, when I don't have my facts straight, I try to stay out of a conversation- or at least admit that I may well be talking out of my ass. Apparently our president does not do the same thing?

This is distressing, if you ask me...

Statement from the American College of Surgeons Regarding Recent Comments from President Obama

CHICAGO--The American College of Surgeons is deeply disturbed over the uninformed public comments President Obama continues to make about the high-quality care provided by surgeons in the United States. When the President makes statements that are incorrect or not based in fact, we think he does a disservice to the American people at a time when they want clear, understandable facts about health care reform. We want to set the record straight.

Yesterday during a town hall meeting, President Obama got his facts completely wrong. He stated that a surgeon gets paid $50,000 for a leg amputation when, in fact, Medicare pays a surgeon between $740 and $1,140 for a leg amputation. This payment also includes the evaluation of the patient on the day of the operation plus patient follow-up care that is provided for 90 days after the operation. Private insurers pay some variation of the Medicare reimbursement for this service.
Three weeks ago, the President suggested that a surgeon's decision to remove a child's tonsils is based on the desire to make a lot of money. That remark was ill-informed and dangerous, and we were dismayed by this characterization of the work surgeons do. Surgeons make decisions about recommending operations based on what's right for the patient.
We agree with the President that the best thing for patients with diabetes is to manage the disease proactively to avoid the bad consequences that can occur, including blindness, stroke, and amputation. But as is the case for a person who has been treated for cancer and still needs to have a tumor removed, or a person who is in a terrible car crash and needs access to a trauma surgeon, there are times when even a perfectly managed diabetic patient needs a surgeon. The President's remarks are truly alarming and run the risk of damaging the all-important trust between surgeons and their patients.

We assume that the President made these mistakes unintentionally, but we would urge him to have his facts correct before making another inflammatory and incorrect statement about surgeons and surgical care.

I was just going to write that I have a second date tonight and am totally psyched.

But realized that I left out the other bit- that I had a FIRST date this weekend, which was great. :)

Wheee.

He's super adorable. Both in looks, and actions.
After he dropped me off, he texted me that he had a great time and hoped I did too- and that I looked gorgeous.
Aww, he got big points for that.
But he was embarrassed that I was more dressed up than he was- but he was in those ultra-preppy 'nantucket red' shorts.

And I have to say- I am a sucker for a preppy boy.

so anyway.
Yay.

So, I'm in NYC for the week. I'm taking a microsurgery course at Columbia. And they are putting me up at a seminary- 47 blocks away. WTF? So I have to commute to this course and take the subway. Huh? I mean really! This is NEW YORK. There must be another place to stay closer than 47 blocks away. That isn't a seminary, too. A seminary is like the last place I should stay- I feel like I should burst into flames when I walk through the door! ;)

But, whatever, it's fine. And the room has a little mini-kitchen. So today I on my way home I bought a box of granola bars to have for breakfast. And I ate a bag of popcorn on my way home. And threw the bag in my trash can.

Which in retrospect, was a stupid idea. But I figured if there's a kitchen, there's meant to be food. But I should have known.

Yesterday, I saw a big roach scurry under the bed. Awesome. But, having lived with cat-sized roaches in New Orleans, I didn't care too much.

But the reason I am awake now is because I was just AWAKENED FROM A DEAD SLEEP by the sound of a MOUSE in my popcorn bag. Awesome.
May have to bring this to someone's attention. Too bad the 'office' is only open from 10-2, and I am gone from 8-5.

Oh well. Otherwise NY is good. Have had the chance to see some friends, and make some others, and on top of it all it's Restaurant Week, so I've been eating way too much.

But, I kind of can't wait to go home on Sat, because I have my date that night. :) He's been super adorably cute. Calling just enough to make me feel important, and not enough to make me feel smothered.
So I want to hurry up and have this date and get to know him better... because I feel like it's not right to be all excited about someone I barely know.

And who knows, maybe if this works out I can cancel my match.com, which seems to be hitting an all time low. I seriously can't believe some of the people on there. Especially when they email me about how much we have in common. I'm like "really? fat bald divorced high school dropout guy with no job in a football jersey? You think we have a lot in common?" But then the other day I actually, for the first time in months, saw someone that might be interesting... so I sent him a message. No reply. After a week, I wrote back "wow, I don't even get a hello? Well, good luck to you." To which he sent back an apology... Said he was sorry to be rude but he thinks it's best not to answer. That while he respects doctors, "Being a doctor is a massive time commitment and for that reason I didn't feel it was a good fit. I am sure many would be estatic [sic] to be involved with someone that would so greatly assist on the financial side of life in addition to the general relationship. For me, time is more important."

Dumbass. The 'financial side' comment is super obnoxious, if you ask me. I also noticed that the only place I didn't match his criteria was "body type". I have listed myself as "average"- he only wants "slender" or "athletic and toned." Again, oh really dude? You're not that hot. You posted 12 pictures that prove that fact. I wrote b/c he was witty and seemed to like the same things as me. Guess not. He also wrote "reguardless" and "defensce". We're clearly not meant to be.

So, I couldn't let it go and sent him back a message that said that I agree- I don't respond to people I'm not interested in. But that usually those people aren't cute doctors. But that if he is willing to write off a whole profession without knowing more [my hours as a hand surgeon will not be a problem]- then maybe we're not a good match. Then for good measure I tacked on "and I have to ask- are you really that hot that merely "average" girls need not apply?"

Somehow i'm not expecting a response to that one.

And just now I got "Your smile light up my screen.. If think.. We can be friends let me know.. I am DOMINIC. If want please sent me mail.. Thanks." DOMINIC, you are 46 but don't seem to have mastered fundamental reading/writing, so I think I'll pass.

God I'm a bitch. Ugh.

Last comment-
Jim/James- you guys ok? :(

later peeps. Now I will try to fall back asleep and hope the mouse doesn't wake me up going through the garbage I moved out to the hallway.

I feel like a giddy little kid.

So this weekend a girlfriend of mine came into town, and I ventured out 'on the town' for the first time. We had a great time. On saturday night, we went out for dinner and then were getting some drinks... Now, she works with a woman in Rochester who was like "omg you need to meet my son! He lives in CT!" and gave him her number. Well, since she was in CT, she called him. So he rounded up a buddy, and they drove an hour from New Haven to Hartford, to come hang out with these two girls they'd never even met. heh. But it was a lot of fun. They were, as she says, cupcakes. 'sweet and warm and impressionable, with a short half life.'

But even better was friday.
We went out, and then this friend of mine met us.... I knew him when I lived in DC, but hadn't seen or talked to him in >10 years. But then one day he popped up as a 'friend suggestion' on facebook, and lo and behold- he lives in hartford.
So, he met us out.
And- he's still totally cute.
And single.
And fun.
So we had a great night.
And he texted me the next say "that was really fun! Let's go out this week. Let me know what day is good for you."

And I'm so dumb that at first I didn't even realize- I think I was just asked out!

I told him I'd be in NY this week, but am coming back Sat. Then my friend took my phone and texted him "would a boy like you be interested in seeing a girl like me on, say, next saturday?" (which is way more boldly flirtatious than I could ever be) and he responded "a boy like me would DEFINITELY be interested in spending next saturday with you."

Aww.

Way too early to make anything of it.

But, exciting nonetheless. I can barely even remember the last time I went on a date.

So I was just driving home from work, through a seedy part of town, and saw some guy forcefully throw his empty Sprite bottle on the ground. Even worse, there was a big garbage can about 20 feet away.

It pissed me off way more than I expected. I really wanted to roll down my window and yell at him to pick up his fucking garbage, but he looked like the type of guy who may well pull out a gun and shoot me right there for saying that.

Fucker. I hate that guy.

Next thought:
I like my co-fellow. I liked him when I met him during interviews, and was looking forward to working with him. Was actually hoping he would be single and would be my soulmate. Alas, he is neither. He is dating some country singer with a kid, and he talks a LOT (almost exclusively?) about bodybuilding, and strippers. (apparently he used to be a semi-pro bodybuilder). He's from new jersey and shaves his arms. I think that says it all. ;) No but really, he's a decent guy and we get along fine and I think working together all year will be good- but we're not soulmates.
But so my dilemma is-
he has AWFUL breath. Like always. Maybe it's because all he eats is "muscle milk"- who knows.
but what do I do about this?
I offer him gum like constantly. To the point that I am running out of gum. But he doesn't seem to have gotten the hint.
Help! Any suggestions?

And final comment-
I'm going to NYC on sunday, and will be there til Sat. Any NY peeps (jess?) going to be around?

Hello. :)

Looking/reading about italian fest etc is making me jealous. Looks like everyone is having so much fun!

I finally got in touch with the kid I knew back when I lived in DC... And then I also saw the girl I lived with when I was there... It's been 11 years since I saw him. And probably 5 since I've seen her. So she invited me over for dinner last night, and said to bring him along. I was kind of excited 1- to actually leave the house and be social, 2- to catch up with old friends, 3- to spend some time with someone who actually lives here and might be able to give me some hints on where to go, etc and 4- to see this guy again. For all I know he's married with kids now, but, eh, so what. He was really cute ten years ago. ;)
But, at the last second he called and cancelled. Bummer. But said we'll have to hang out this week.

So I went to dinner alone. And we had a nice time, but it was super chill... burgers with her, her husband, and their son. Then we chatted until it was his bedtime, then I left. I thought about going to the bar near my house alone afterwards... but then decided to skip the calories and go to bed.

Today tried to do some errands, only to learn that this city is a GHOST TOWN on weekends. I tried to go to CVS... a major pharmacy, only to learn it's only open til 12 on saturday, and not at all on sunday. WTF?! What the hell kind of place is this?

But tomorrow I'm going to Ikea. woohoo, can't wait. Then maybe I can finally finish my last bits of unpacking.

I finally talked to my girlfriend K, for the first time since I moved, so now I'm not mad at her anymore. AND, she's going to come visit me next weekend. wheee.

Work is good. I printed up a report this AM... it's been 2.5 weeks, and I have done 58 cases already. For comparison- I did 168 during my whole final year of residency. Granted, these cases are, for the most part, much quicker cases, but still. It's good. :)

Oh, and on thursday at work I had a super hottie patient. 33 and a cop- busted his hand catching a 'bad guy'. So I took my time putting his cast back on so we could chat. ;) Too bad it's totally unethical to date a patient. But, at least it was fun for the day. And, I know I'll see him again in 2-3 weeks to take the cast off.

What else. My boards are in like 3 weeks. SHIT. I really need to go into super hermit mode and study non-stop. But, it's not happening. And then I have to go to NYC for the last week of July, to take a course for work. Which normally would be awesome, but it's just about the worst possible timing. Ugh.

And what else... I think Dan is going to marry his new GF. He told me she's moved in with him and they're 'very very serious'. The only catch- she's still married. Oops. Minor detail. I like her fine... she's... nice, sweet. Vanilla. I mean there's nothing BAD about her, but nothing amazing either. So I'm not exactly sure what he sees in her, but... whatever, guess it's none of my business.
But the thing that pisses me off, is that now he won't even talk to me. I mean yes, I'm not stupid, I understand that we can't be super tight. But I finally said to him "you know, she is a better friend to me these days than you are." And he said "well, sometimes it's hard to be your friend when I know you want so so much more."

Ugh, that made my blood boil. It was everything I could do to not say "oh get over yourself." I mean that's the problem?! he's afraid to say hello to me b/c he thinks I'm sitting here pining over him?!

Bleh.

I am so over him.

And finally... a picture my cousin sent of my little cousin... the last time I saw him he was maybe 7 or 8 [they live in Italy]. And that was in.... '92 maybe? In any case- he's not a little kid anymore! hubba hubba. Enjoy the eye candy.

I think I am in Thai food withdrawal. haha. I miss having saigon cafe right around the corner- I will have to find my new local faves.

I'm settling in ok... haven't met anyone yet, but then again, I haven't made a single effort either. My boards are a month from today (ACK!), so I feel like I can't really justify doing anything but work/unpack/study for work/study for boards.

Work is going pretty well though. There's so much to learn... but everyone knows that and is super understanding and helpful.

I miss Buffalo though. I miss my friends. I miss knowing where things are... It's been revealing though. People that I thought were my close friends, have disappeared. My one "best friend" doesn't answer the phone, doesn't call me back... She has a new BF... I guess he has replaced me. Which I understand... sorta... except- she and I have been close for like 4 years. She's known him since April. If I ever do manage to talk to her, it's via text, and then it's like 'oh shit gotta go, [BF] is coming." It's almost like he doesn't 'allow' her to talk to me, which is SUPER bullshit and makes me want to kick his ass. She's a super cool girl, and should not be with some dipshit who dictates when she can use her phone.

So, I went home for the weekend. It was nice, except I ate way too much, and did not do any studying. But I did get to see my dad's pix from graduation. 5 years, and we only took like 5 pix. All nearly identical (and not great) of me and my mom... none of my friends/classmates... ah well- guess I should have thought of that at the time.

So here's a random photo dump.


my kitchen. Those boxes are all gone now, thank god, but that kind of sucked.



Sunbathing in my [parents'] front yard. I think it was raining in Buffalo at the time. ;)










5 very similar pictures of me and my mom at graduation. Didn't get any with Dad. :( They did take formal pictures, but I'm not sure how/if I'll ever get to see them.

and I figured I'd temper the vanity of posting 5 pix of myself all dressed up with 2 terrible pictures of me in my apt, thinking about packing. (not actually doing anything about it, just contemplating.)
The one makes me think maybe there IS such a thing as too tan... I look scary.

So... I just finished my first full week of fellowship. And all things considered, it's going pretty well. Lots of work, tons to learn, but I'm making progress. And everyone is super nice.

And It's 3:30 on friday, and I'm home, and I don't have to be back at work until monday morning. What a foreign concept. Now just to decide what to do with this weekend.

I just found out that the best pizza place in the world (Pepe's, in New Haven), has a satellite branch here in Hartford. Pepe's is like my dad's favorite thing ever.

So, I just came up with a wonderful plan. I am going to go to pepe's and pick up some 'half-baked' pies [so you throw them in the oven for a few minutes when you get home and they are perfecto], and take them home and surprise my fam for dinner. Hopefully tomorrow it will be nice and I can go to the beach. Then maybe I'll come back tomorrow and hit ikea.

yay. I love my plan. Maybe next weekend will be Buffalo. :)

Ok...
Now, I know my taste in music is not always 100% mainstream.
But, I think I still at least recognize a lot of the 'big guys'. And some shows are worth seeing just to say you were there.

So... there is this website- eventful.com. Somehow I got signed up for it. It sends me emails about upcoming concerts and events. Usually nothing I'm interested in, but I haven't bothered unsubscribing, because once in a while it gives me a heads up to an awesome show.

So yesterday I got it, and realized the Buffalo version isn't really applicable. So I went to the website to update my info vs unsubscribe.

and what did I see?

A listing for a concert next weekend. At a stadium about 20 minutes from my apt.

And guess who is playing?

Bob Dylan.

AND

John Mellencamp

AND

Willie Nelson.

ZOMGWOW!

Well I figured there's no way in hell that tickets are still available when it's only a week away.

But I checked anyway.

They are. The "best available" are $65 and it doesn't say where they are.

They're probably horrendous nosebleed seats, but that's not even the point.

I mean, I'm not a HUGE dylan fan, but I like him fine. I don't listen to Willie all often, but I think he's awesome and definitely enjoy him. And mellencamp... well I think the only song I know is that little ditty about jack and diane.

But still... these guys are legends.

What is wrong with people?
Why is this not sold out?

But in any case... I now have two tickets.

Too bad I don't know a single person in this town.

Guess I have a week to make a new BFF!

Ahhh, 3pm. Finally sitting down to breakfast and coffee. :(

I am on call all weekend. Bummer, b/c I wanted to go home (or somewhere), but oh well.
But other than being on call, I have the weekend off, including yesterday. And I got a lot done. Unpacked every last box, got them broken down and into recycling, organized my closet/kitchen/bathroom/storage, did laundry, washed dishes, etc etc etc.
Then, I figured I'd go to bed early, and try to enjoy today.
Set the timer on the coffee pot for 7am, and climbed into bed around 11.

4am got the call- 52 year old guy (drunk, of course) had a firecracker explode in his hand. Dammit, here we go...

So, around 430, I ventured into the ER. For the first time. I didn't even know where it was.

And the guy had damn near blown his thumb off. (and, to make matters worse, he's a left handed construction worker.) I wish I'd thought to take pictures.

But- the amazing thing about hand surgery- we don't fix it now.
I washed it our really well, and put some stitches in the skin. Put a splint on it, and said "call the office to make an appointment monday". Then we're see how he's healing, take some more xrays,and will decide if we have to fix the broken bone or let it heal on it's own.

So I was done with that around 6... Then got the call- 16 year old kid drove a dirt bike into a parked car. At 1am. On his birthday. Ripped his pinkie finger off, so it was only hanging on by skin.

That is not something that can wait til monday. So, we went to the OR, and sewed his finger back on. Felt good to save it, but.... we'll have to see if it works in the long run. A lot of times, reattached fingers don't work very well. And while there, we fixed his smashed up toe, too. Which included pulling off the toenail. [shudder]. (I was told "toes are just like fingers, only less important"). The kid definitely tried my patience... I kept having to remind myself "he's only 16". But... man, what a little punk.

So... finally finished up with that around 230. So, now I'm home. Had a hot dog in honor of the 4th, and am now drinking my morning coffee. (thank god for a thermal coffee pot- it's still hot! from 7am!)

Now.... to sit around and hope my pager doesn't go off anymore.

Pretty lame long weekend. But.... even if I weren't working, I don't know anyone anyway, so it's not like I could have plans if I wanted to. At least this way I have an excuse for sitting home alone all weekend. (some consolation...)