A month of firsts.

So quick update: I'm about to finish my first rotation (Family Medicine), and well... a lot of things happened.  First off, everyone in family medicine is exceptionally nice - I'm sure this isn't true everywhere, but I'm definitely glad I started off in a welcoming atmosphere. I've definitely been spoiled. So here are some highlights:

• My week of in-patient started off with my first on-call (30ish hour) shift. Of course all the patients came in the middle of the night - because well, that is just my luck. I got about 2 shifts of 1.5 hours of sleep. 
• I have been yelled at... by a patient. Note to self: chronic alcoholics who come into the ED at 2:00am are usually not the nicest patients.
• By my 24th hour - the patient tried to yell at me again - to which I just stared at him until he was finished, said "well I'm sorry you feel that way", and continued to examine him. For some weird reason - he was never mean to me again; he actually offered me his breakfast the following day. He did, however, urinate on himself and me... but I digress. 
• Another note to self: Get a good medical student to follow me when I'm a physician. Because then all my progress notes will be: "Agree with medical student <copy and paste their progress note>". It's a lot less work. 
• So medical students are pretty much the bottom of the totem pole. During rounds, one resident carried around a laptop; another resident jokingly told him to give it to the med student to hold. I interjected, "I don't mind, but if you're passing it down the line - I'm just gonna give it to the pharm student". This provided a lot of laughs. I was definitely joking.... or was I. (I was.) I don't really know what purpose they served during rounds - although we didn't serve much purpose ourselves.
• No offense to any Pharm students. Both of my parents are pharmacists - they would kill me if I insulted them.
• Outpatient in family medicine was also great - I was fortunate to have a wonderful preceptor who basically threw me to the wolves on the first day: "okay here is the chart - go see your first patient." For each patient he challenged me to come up with a diagnosis and treatment - and corrected and taught me along the way. I still blank sometimes (or often) when asked random questions on the spot - but I think I've gotten a bit better at it (at least I hope). For this, I thank him and his staff - I truly have learned a great deal and will always remember my first clinical experience as being an exceptional one. 
• We also had drug reps bring us lunch and talk about their respective drugs every day. While some doctors may not like drug reps - it really helped refresh my pharmacology knowledge. But in all honesty, most of those conversations were about anything but drugs - from cars to ghosts to scotch. (yes, ghosts... that was a weird conversation). 
• One of the nurses in the office was sick and needed a steroid shot. I offered to give it to her and as I'm administering it - I tell her "This is exciting! I've given an IM injection a couple times to an orange... but you're my first real person!".  I will never forget the look on her face and the laughter of everyone in the office. ... sad thing was - I wasn't joking. It's okay though - I've given dozens of flu vaccinations after that. I've become quite the pro, none of the patients even feel it... or so they tell me.
• I think I got my first sinus infection. I have some serious post-nasal drip going on right now - I don't like it. 
• That song Akon made for some Bollywood movie is really catchy. I have no idea what it is but the next brown person I see I'm going to ask them if they want to be my chammak challo. I'll let you know how that goes.
• My mother called me exclaiming she is going to her first Packers game and wanted advice about what to wear. I was really confused - considering she lives in NC. I later figured she was going to a Panthers game. I wonder what she wore.  I also wonder if she knows what sport she's going to see. 
• I should really learn how to cook. Eating out this often is making me fat. 
• I'm going home next weekend!.. for like a day. 

That's all I can think of - for those of you who suffer from sinusitis ... I feel your pain. I wish I had something more interesting to talk about. Maybe no post is better than a boring post like this - I should really think about that next time. sorry.


shark FIN.

Guest Post: Dear 16-year-old Me

Dear 16-year-old Me:

How’s everything going? It’s been about a decade since we spoke, but I wanted to share some advice with you that may come in handy. I know your attention span rivals that of a fruit fly, so I’ll do my best to keep it simple:

1. Stop using hair gel. Please. I’m ashamed when I look at old pictures of you.

2. There will never be a time in your life when school seems more trivial and uninspiring than right now. But I promise that if you maintain a strong work ethic through high school and college, you will reap the rewards when it does matter the most to you.

3. Your favorite sports team still hasn’t won a championship, even though you think they will every. single. year.

4. Learn to ask for help. This is the single most important skill I have picked up in the last 10 years. Yes, even more important than solving a Rubik’s Cube.

5. Your heart will be broken. Multiple times. You will get angry and upset when it happens, but do not ever hold a grudge. and NEVER break another person’s heart in return.

6. Invest in Apple stock. Huge amounts. but don’t become an Apple drone.

7. Some friends will choose to walk out of your life. The important ones will come back; maybe not until a very long time has passed, but they always will. And if they don’t come back, then they weren’t important.

8. Enjoy music videos and hip hop while they last. They will both be dying a slow and painful death in the next few years.

9. Give your parents a hug every day. You won’t be living with them for much longer, and the time between visits only grows exponentially as the years pass. Family is the most important thing in the world.

10. Don’t join facebook.

11. Your best friends are still my best friends today. And I’ve been blessed to meet even more amazing people over the years. Don’t screw that up.

12. Do NOT eat that bowl of salt. The $2 you won from the bet is not enough to compensate for the pitch-black vomit you’re going to experience in the following days.

13. You won’t remember how much time you spend with your high school friends on the weekends, but you will remember how much time you didn’t spend with your siblings while you lived at home.

14. Your obsession with sports only gets worse with age. Just accept it.

15. Tell your friends and family how much they mean to you on a regular basis. Don’t wait until it’s too late. You will lose important people to horrible tragedies. This will cause you to run the gamut of emotions and question many things. That is perfectly normal, but please PLEASE share your thoughts with someone. Anyone.

16. Karma is real.

17. You will ultimately reach your goals. However, the way you get there is much, much different than what you expect. That doesn’t mean you should ever stop planning. The unforeseen path is always scary and uncertain, but so much more rewarding in the end.

18. Don’t watch Jurassic Park 3. Two hours you will never get back.

19. If a stranger looks like they need cheering up, do it. You’ll make some great friends this way.

20. Finally, I’ve realized one universal truth that will help you understand just about everything in your life: Guys are dumb and girls are crazy.


That's about it. You'll learn the rest along the way. Everything else is summed up here, so much more beautifully than I could ever hope to elucidate.

With love,

You +10

P.S. – Racquetball is so much cooler than it seems. For real.

[post inspired by this video]

The long awaited part 2: spontaneous "last family vacation"

The Pope residence: Vatican City

We got here right when it opened so we could get into St. Peter's Basilica without a line and a crowd. In the morning I was asking my mother what I should wear - you know since it's the Vatican and I'm not trying to offend anyone. She's laughs and says, "Why? Are you trying to impress the Pope?".  Technically if we went on a Wednesday I would be - he comes out to greet everyone. Thankfully we went on a Thursday so we wouldn't be attacked by crowds. I guess the Pope is going to have to wait to see me.

My parents spent a fair amount of time discussing the Pieta - not the way art enthusiasts would discuss it, but rather where Michelangelo's signature was (It's the only piece he ever signed -- the Sheth family has become quite knowledgable about this man). It's something we could have googled in two seconds, but Dad had to SEE it for himself and capture it on video. OH YES - I haven't discussed Dad and his video camera obsession; he takes it everywhere but never edits or watches any of the footage. Maybe it's an Asian thing, because I only ever see them carrying it around and taping people posing like a picture- but it's a video which captures movement... I don't think I'll ever understand it and I should really stop trying. I think he believes he'll watch it when he retires, but if you know my Dad, I highly doubt he has the patience for all that -- this is HOURS of footage. But also, if you know my Dad, just because I said he won't.. he will - he's going to make my kids watch it, I just know it. Poor future kids.

My sister and I spent most of our time in the Basilica fascinated by the remains of the Popes. I can't really explain it, but if you visit you'll understand.

So in St. Peter's Basilica, apparently people rub a statue's foot for blessings (I think it's like our pagay-laaging ordeal, for you Hindus). We get in there and I ask my sister, so who is that guy (the statue)? She opens her eyes widely (and if you know Priya - you know they can get super large) and responds, "That's Saint Peter you idiot." ... Noted. I then proceeded to rub his foot. Nicest basilica we saw by far - totally get why the Pope hangs out here.

Okay - so I know it's hard to see, but Priya and I are in the center and if you look far right - you'll see Dad in his usual pose - with a video camera, taping us standing there. 

Vatican museum: Long story short - never go here in July, it's way too crowded and definitely not a place for claustrophobic people like me. I feel it can best be summarized by my sister, "It's like Ikea. Gotta go through the ENTIRE museum before you get to the Sistine Chapel." And all I (or most people for that matter) really cares about is the Sistine Chapel. Mom was not completely thrilled to see it as she was not exactly enthralled by the Statue of David -- I think it's safe to say Michelangelo is not her favorite artist.

Moonlight:  Sorrento
It's interesting to see the contrast between Mom and Dad on vacation and at home. Dad is all about site-seeing and fitting everything you possibly can into a day, even at the expense of sleep; while Mom loves to just sit on the beach, relax, and do nothing. But at home it's a complete 180 - Mom literally runs around like a chicken with her head cut off -- NO IDEA how she does what she does but she does EVERYTHING; Dad, on the other hand, claims to be working but he has his conferences for a couple hours and then he's watching cricket, youtube videos, or television and sleeping. He'll deny this, but I've seen it.

Regardless, it's easy to see why Sorrento was my mother's favorite: quiet, secluded, calm, and on the beach. Definitely a place to re-visit. Also - we found what my mother considers the BEST Italian food in Italy (she made us go to this restaurant three times in two days-- and we always sat at the same table). So if you're ever in Sorrento - definitely eat at Moonlight as per Mom's request, or better yet - just take her with you.

Moonlight should hire her.

Sorrento - not photoshopped or edited at all. And thats taken with my little Cannon powershot.  

Sal, our driver, lived in NYC and retired to Sorrento. After we told him we were from NC, he responded, "OH - Tar Heel country!!".  Sal is my favorite Italian person.

Fifteen bags: Capri.
Everyone always tries to sell you on these tours which we don't want to do- and Dad always gives in to take them because he thinks we'll get lost on our own. I hope if anything this trip made him realize that this is not the case. Against all advisement we made a day trip Capri on our own - 1. we did not get lost 2. we saw everything we wanted to, when we wanted to, how we wanted to 3. we had more fun than probably anyone who took those lengthy boring tours. And if you ask Dad, he'll tell you so himself.

We took some boat ride over - during which a boat worker came around selling various souvenirs. And just like Dad gets easily sold on tours, Mom is easily sold on young people selling souvenirs. She buys a beach bag to put her purse in so it doesn't get wet -- HOW it would get wet is beyond me, the boat held 300 people, it was not about to capsize anytime soon. And honestly, if it did- why is your main concern your purse getting wet? Oh Moms. Funny thing is - she poked me (literally) and said, "I want that bag - it's cute". So I call the guy over and I'm like seriously Mom, you don't need it - or at least get it on the ride back. The young man exclaims, "Ok I'll make you a deal. You buy a purse, Fendi, Prada, Gucci you choose (they were all exactly the same - it was his joke - Mom laughed for like 10 minutes) and you'll get me for free!". Mom is now laughing hysterically and says, "Well then, I'll take three!". Still not seeing the humor, I buy her one. For the rest of the trip - she cannot stop talking about how AMAZING this beach bag is -- seriously though, it's just a beach bag that says Capri on it -- and she decides to buy one for ALL her friends; "the Jeena will lowe it." (yea, my mom actually doesn't have an accent at all - but I just like to pretend. And "the Jeena" is a combo name I came up with for my mother's closest two friends) Needless to say - she bought 15 and yes, I have one.

Back to Capri - most beautiful water you will ever see.  We had to wait on a boat in the sun for two hours before we got into the Blue Lagoon - but definitely worth the heat and tan-ness. (Mom used the infamous purse to block the sun from Priya's face... and proceeded to explain it's usefulness as more than just a bag!) Part of the boat was covered, but these Asian people were sitting basically on top of each other, hiding from the sun. They were definitely prepared - covered from head to toe in glasses, hats, long sleeved shirts, jackets, pants, umbrellas, towels etc. And then you have me - sitting in my bathing suit getting as dark as humanly possible. Weird. I have no words to explain the beauty of the Blue Lagoon - it's definitely a must see and should be on your bucket list.

on the boat. and oh hey - the beach bag makes an appearance!

The little boat that took us inside the lagoon - you had to lay flat so you didn't hit your head.
I'm not going to put pictures from inside the lagoon because it doesn't do it justice - you'll just have to see it for yourself!... or google it.

OH - best Limoncello in Sorrento and Capri - definitely have some while you're here. If you know my family, you know we brought some back. I would say hit us up to try some, but I'm pretty sure it's all gone by now. Reference: the Chianti visit where we bought two bottles to take home with us - definitely finished them before we left.

Oh my trash: Napoli (Naples)
I think it's safe to say that Naples was unanimously (is that spelled right?) our least favorite. Trash piled up on the sidewalks taller than me. Gross. I couldn't have been less under-whelmed. The one great thing was the pizza - we actually went to the same pizza place (Da Michele) in Eat, Pray, Love - both the book and the movie. There's something about that pizza, I don't know if it's knowing that it is because Julia Robert's ate there or if I was just that hungry - but it was great pizza. Although I did notice that Naples makes their pizza sauce more watery than everywhere else which makes the pizza soggy -- just some constructive criticism to the Naples people. With that being said it's still one of the best pizzas I've ever tasted.

And then we flew home and had Taco Bell!! (Oh come on.. you saw that coming.)

last minute family vacation to Italy = success. Special thanks to the parents! Love you!!

shark FIN.

Adventures of Kaylo.

Why are we calling ourselves Kay-Lo? weird.

I should really finish that Italy blogpost ...

Lauren came to NC, and as always - we did some unusual things. OH FYI- we take pictures of ourselves partially because we have no one around to take them and partially because Lauren wants to make a flipbook out of them (because we take them EVERYWHERE). I think the purpose of a flipbook is to have minute differences between the pictures so when you "flip" through it, the character seems to be moving (which would not be the case in her flipbook)-- but this is also the girl who thinks the phrase is: "don't take it for granite", so I really wouldn't put anything past her.

On the drive down, there was a massive downpour - hurricane style... seriously. I couldn't see anymore so we decided to stop somewhere to eat. But with Lauren's amazing navigating skills - we ended up in the middle of nowhere with only one option: Floyd's Restaurant - homestyle cooking. We definitely got some lingering stares (especially once we told them we were vegetarian) - but we also got some great southern food. Overall: success.

During our time in Atlanta we also visited the Coca-Cola Factory; they have 64 flavors of soda there - and of course we ventured to taste them all --- in 15 minutes. Not a good idea. Leaving the factory, surprise surprise, downpour AGAIN. But this time we were not equipped. For those of you who don't know me (in which case, why are you reading this?), I HATE the rain - and I hate getting rained upon.

We also got the polar bear to dance for us and with us - ask Lauren for the video 

Don't let this smile fool you, I'm NOT happy after being soaked during our walk back... although I was offered to be carried to my car by some Australian guys. 

We could have spent hours in the Georgia Aquarium, especially in the whale shark room. I'm pretty sure we were there during shark week -- so there's something off my bucket list: see a real shark during shark week. Honestly it was never on my bucket list, but if it were - I would have been able to cross it off. We also spent an hour or so determining the logistics of me keeping sea nettles (aka jellyfish) as pets.

Whale shark.
(and you thought this blog wasn't about sharks)

Last, but definitely not least, Chapel Hill.

Old well.

Top of the Hill.

Oh and we went to the beach. No pictures from there - but here's some randoms from the rest of the week.

"Comfortable" Indian clothes.
(Already lost her chandlo - aka sticker on forehead.)

New favorite accessory - bindi/chandlo. Taking extra to replace in case she brushes it off again.

Made sure not to "itch it off" this time. 

very... "us".

I may have met her only a few months ago, but I already consider her family. I'm so glad we got to spend a week being "us" before we part ways... again. I'm sure we'll see each other soon (bring your ninja turtle hat - we'll dance to the theme song again) - but until then, I want to thank her so much for everything. I can't even begin to put into words what an amazing friend she has been; I'm going to miss her during rotations. And every time I do a physical exam on someone - I shall think of her and our crazy ways of remembering "what comes next". Good luck and see you soon!

shark FIN. 

Spontaneous "last family vacation" (part 1)

After that long hiatus, it's high time I put up a new post.  Towards the end of June my parents felt that we needed a much deserved "last family vacation". (We've used this phrase quite loosely as everyone seems to make time for another family vacation after the "last" one.) And so began the "spontaneous Italy trip" - as it was booked literally days before we flew out. My sister and I have never been fond of the "massive tour around the country" as we're never able to do what we want, when we want - or even go everywhere we want; and considering my sister had already been to some places in Italy with friends, we figured we could figure it all out ourselves. Lonely Planet: Italy quickly became our new "religious book" (for those of you who find it not PC to use "bible"). So here's a quick summary of this "last family vacation"; and albeit impossible to portray each city with one picture, I shall try:

Airport

I put this to allow some sort of comparison of our complexions throughout the trip; not the most flattering picture, I know.

I'd like to think of us all starting off as closely-related shades of a perfectly toasted piece of bread. You'll see how that changes real soon.

The ultimate maze... with bridges:  Venezia (Venice)
No map will ever help you here (not that I know how to read one), so thank goodness they almost always had signs for two sites: the Rialto and San Marco (maybe more.. who knows, I was always lost).  I'm also pretty sure I crossed more bridges in one hour of walking around than in my entire life. Nonetheless - this was my father's favorite city, and with good reason - its gorgeous.

Yea - that's me in the pink and blue polka-dotted dress, scared of the pigeons as I thought they were flying over me... clearly they are not. In the Palazzo Ducale, Dodges Palace to my left, and Basilica di San Marco behind me.

My fear of the pigeons flying into me were validated as one scraped past my arm... don't laugh - it's all funny until it happens to you.

"Madonna and Child":  Firenze (Florence)
Okay - so I'll take full blame for this one (shocking - I know). I wanted to see both the Academia and the Uffizi - unfortunately I convinced the family it would be great to do them both in the same day; you know, knock it out as a "museum day". NEVER do this; everyone wanted to kill me afterwards. We barely had to wait in line at the Uffizi, and we took a guided tour of the Academia - so no wait there -- but considering none of the four of us are necessarily art enthusiasts, all the "Madonna and Child"'s started to look the same after awhile (no offense intended). My mother was also very vocal in her interpretations of each piece, and goodness gracious did she have a lot to say about the Statue of David. Florence was my sister's favorite - but because of her past trip to Italy, where "no one made her go to art museums". It was definitely a great city, and in my opinion one of the most beautiful - but I think everyone needed a couple days to recover after my "museum fiasco". In my defense, we didn't JUST do the museums - we did everything else touristy as well. My father, mother and I climbed up the Cupola until I remembered I was highly claustrophobic about halfway up (who forgets that?)- so my mother and I came back down.We walked down the Ponte Vecchio, which was the only bridge not ruined during WWII. And of course we went into the Duomo.

Florence, from the Piazzale Michelangelo

While most people will find a slew of other amazing pictures of this city, this is one that is very indicative of my family's trip to Florence:

Krupa: Hey Mom, stand in front of one of the fake Statue of David and imitate him like those other people.
Mom: Okay - I can try but I'll never be anatomically correct.

"Someone has the leaning tower up his ass":  Pisa
This picture really doesn't do the tower justice as to how much it actually leans. It's quite intense. Apparently you aren't supposed to be on the grass... but everyone was - how do you take pictures otherwise? So we all got yelled at by some security guard, to which my sister said under her breath, "someone has the tower up his ass". The phrase seems to have caught on amongst the family.

The usual "I'm holding up the leaning tower!!" picture. 

"Wine.":  Chianti
From Florence we went to a vineyeard and wine-tasting in Chianti and drank... wine. I asked the guide why Chianti wines have more tyramine than other wines; I don't think he understood me, because he printed me off a list of all the tannins in the wine. I guess I should google it. There always seems to be a day on our family trips where everyone drinks a bit more than.. necessary (if you will), this was definitely the night.

About 3 glasses in?

"I have a G on my ass":  Roma (Rome)

Rome was my favorite city - no pictures or words can fully explain this city, although Elizabeth Gilbert comes close. The Colosseum, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Vittoriano, Piazzale Navona, and Roman Forum amongst others are an enthusiast's (of ancient history) heaven. Living steps away from the Trevi Fountain was definitely an added bonus. They were still cleaning the fountain and collecting money from the previous day (they say around 300 euros/day!!), so I ended up being the first coin-toss of the day! It is said that tossing a coin in the fountain foretells a return to Rome - I don't mind, I'm definitely a fan.

The Pantheon has a hole at the top of the dome (oculus) where rain can enter, so they created holes in the marble floor to allow for drainage. I spent a good amount of time looking for the holes then made the family pose for a picture like this. The parents must have thought this was some tradition or something because every time we found a new hole, they posed.

The first day we were in Rome and walking around I sat down by the fountain in front of the Pantheon (I feel as if for every bridge there is in Venice, there's a fountain in Rome). Unfortunately I must have sat on some writing or something, because the entire day I walked around with a "G" on my shorts.

In case you can't tell what that is...

weird.

Okay I'm tired. To be continued...


shark FIN.

"You look like a boy."

One of the best things about being home is getting to see my parents everyday. And since I haven't been home in ages and I'm busy studying - they seem to want to do everything for me. From cooking to cleaning even shopping. The first morning I was home, I was awakened by whispering - I open my eyes to find my mother and father sitting at the foot of my bed and my mother peering to see my face asking "Are you awake?". They then look at each other and reply in synchrony with outstretched arms: "WELCOME HOME!". Where else do you get such unconditional love and care? Or perhaps I spoke too soon...

This morning was a bit different, however. Instead of the usual, "Good morning, what would you like for breakfast?", I was greeted with "You look like a boy." (I was wearing what I considered to be comfortable study clothes.) To which I replied, "what type of boy wears a pink sports bra?" Mother's response: "a homosexual fat boy". 

Welcome home.

And for your viewing pleasure... a "boy". 

(I added the shoes when I went to Bojangles to get sweet tea. I was asked to wear eyeliner however.)

Maybe I'll turn into one of those fashion girl bloggers and do an "outfit of the day" or as I've come to know "OOTD". Who knows.. the world is my oyster.. and procrastination it's pearl. And well, I have a lot of studying to do.

Good day overall - filled with studying, sweet tea, and ridicule of my fashion sense. Oh how I love being home. 

No hard feelings mom. I'll get you back soon enough. Love you.

shark FIN. 

(FIN as in french for "the end" and FIN as in "shark fin".. yea it works both ways)

Guest Blog by Lo: The Yummy World of Medicine

Hey, this is Lo writing some stream of thought during a long day at school. Have you ever felt the need to stop your doctor and say, “You found what???” The more you learn about medicine the more is begins to feel that it was all made up by some overworked resident who missed lunch while slaving over a microscope.

You see, Obama healthcare has been helping Americans to fill the insurance donut hole that has been a recipe for disaster. We know that children need treatment for the dreaded cherry red spot on their macula, café-au-lait spots, or currant jelly stools immediately. We tell mom, don’t worry about the port wine stain, but beware cheesy necrosis, chocolate cysts and grape clusters you-know-where. Oh, boy. Hope that the doc doesn’t find a side of nutmeg liver, honeycomb lung, or onion skinning on biopsy. Grandma better not be cooking up any Peau d’orange, strawberry tongue, or rice water stools, because we know what that means. LUNCH IS SERVED. Welcome to pathology. Is it break time yet? My McDonald's Latte is runnning low.

J.Biebz and Kay-Lo

So after a long day and great dinner with Lo - we decided to watch J. Biebz in 3D so we can "air hug" him (and by "we" I mean Lo - I just wanted to dance with him). Turns out the 10pm show had no Biebz fans (past their bed time I'm assuming) - so we had the entire theatre to ourselves. Unfortunately it was in 2D, but no worries because we turned it into our personal club as we danced the entire movie. We practiced some clinical skills as well as I checked Usher for splinter hemorrhages (he did not have any ... in case you were wondering). Some cops ended up peaking in .. to what I can only imagine were professional quality dance moves. Don't hate.. you wish you were there.

Lo and I also decided to start a Vlog (Kay-Lo --> like J.lo or Cee-lo... just not)- considering it took me forever to start a blog, we'll see if this ever amounts to anything. But if we do - you can bet your bottom that there will be footage from this night. I'll keep y'all updated.

shark FIN. 

(FIN as in french for "the end" and FIN as in "shark fin".. yea it works both ways)

I whip my hair back and forth.

... what a ridiculous song. and yet everytime I hear it, I do in fact - whip my hair back and forth. Congrats Willow - you have enticed me with your catchy (yet still ridiculous) song.


So.. Lady Gaga came to the Grammy's in an egg. And while she's getting a lot of heat for it (haha, a play on her "incubation"), I think it was a GREAT idea. "Born this way" - emerging from an egg.. come on now; mere perfection. It's an entrance that will never be forgotten. Smart marketing, major props.


For the first time in a long time, we had a white Christmas; it snowed all day for a total of 7 inches at my parents' house. I was so excited that I built a snowwoman (Gertrude). Unfortunately my entrance into the house from the snow was not quite as grand as lady gaga, but I was greeted with hot chocolate nonetheless. (thanks mom).


After moving to the midwest, I found myself in the company of many feet of snow ... needless to say the novelty soon wore off. I now find 25 degree weather to be "warm"; which in retrospect is weird especially coming from the Caribbean with constant 95 degree weather. The cold weather did necessitate my purchasing of 9 pairs of boots, however - so I really have no complaints.


I have had several (male) patients at the nursing home "compliment" my boots - "your shoes are very loud", as they push their walker past me in the hallway. Another patient suffering from dementia continuously laughs as I attempt to communicate with her; she does not laugh at anyone else - just me. I like to think that I am able to bring laugher to her life - but in reality I think she is laughing AT me. I can only hope that when I reach her age I am half as happy (and active) as she seems to be.

shark FIN. 

(FIN as in french for "the end" and FIN as in "shark fin".. yea it works both ways)