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Friday, April 28th, 2006
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11:43 am
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Here are some questions from my brother Lee:
Now for some questions:
1.) What's your favorite ski resort?
Easy - Alta, Utah. Sucks for you that they don't allow snowboarders, but Alta just has a really unique intimate quality to it. It's totally old school in that they held out until a few years ago before getting any high speeds and they still have mainly the old slug lifts. I appreciate this because it means that there's a lower volume of people crewing out the runs. They're lots of tree skiing and awesome chutes to hike to and backcountry too. I've probably had 5 of my top 10 powder days of all time there and even when the snow is at its worst at Alta, it's still pretty damn good.
2.) When you finish your residency do you think you'll stay in LA or would you like to live somewhere else?
I'm really suprised that you think it's a possibility that I'd stay here. Sure Charlie wants to because he grew up here, but it was really a fluke that I ended up staying here for residency. I only applied to USC as almost a courtesy to my med school and then I was pretty devastated when I matched here. Perhaps it's growing on me in some ways (I think I'd miss the Hispanic culture), I can't wait to get out of LA. I hate the smog, the traffic and the heat (although 2 winters ago was the rainiest on record and this winter has been one of the coldest). Of course the 4 years immediately after residency will be dictacted by the Navy (best case scenario get sent to Naples, Italy!) but I really would like to eventually come back to the Pacific NW.
3.) What are you favorite book, movie and tv show?
The book is definitely a tough one. But right now I'm feeling Middlesex. It's about a girl who actually turns out to be XY, which doesn't come out until puberty because she's got a genetic disease that alters the expression of testosterone in the body until the body's overwhelmed w/hormones at puberty. It's about her identity crisis, but it's also got wonderfully rich character development and is a really touching story about shades of gray, stereotypes, tolerance, and family relationships, etc. It made me cry at the end.
My favorite movie has a similar theme - it's The Opposite of Sex. It's about sexual identity and relationships and has really witty performances by Christina Ricci and the blond chick from Friends (drawing a blank). It just has some really interesting things to say about the nature of love and sex and how they don't necessarily have to go hand in hand.
The TV show would have to be Six Feet Under. I guess I really do enjoy black humor and tormented characters at times in my TV, books and movies.
4.) Who do you want to be our next president?
I used to think I wanted Hillary. But lately I feel like she's kind of been selling out. I wish we could have a female from the Democratic party who wasn't quite so polarizing as she can be at times. A lot of folks really seem to hate her and I don't know what her chances would be.
5.) What do you think of the South Dakota Abortion Ban?
Well, it's obvious to me that it's a ploy to get a case to the Supreme Court to challenge Roe v. Wade and that's really scarey. I haven't been able to stay as up on politics since starting residency, but I did see a PBS special on the lady who was instrumental in the legislation. She's a woman who herself had an abortion years ago and now recognizes the "trauma" that it universally inflicts on women. And if that isn't hypocritical enough, she is part of the religious right who are also ademately against sex ed and access to contraception. In response to the very appropriate question whether we should teach about protection against STDs and pregancy in case kids screw up and aren't perfect, she says, "Well, you don't teach a kid to load a gun if he isn't going to shoot it." She lives in a black and white world where she really thinks she can eliminate all abortions in her state and to hell with you if you're human and don't wait until you're married or your husband cheats on you once you are.
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| Friday, December 23rd, 2005
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4:21 pm
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Name: Tina
Current Location: Computer room/guest bedroom
Eye Color: blue
Hair Color: blond
Height: 5'4"
Piercings: ears
Tattoos: none
Boyfriend/Girlfriend: Charlie
Overused Phrase: Shut up!
FAVORITES
Food: Mango
Candy: toffee
Number: 4
Color: periwinkle
Animal: cat
Drink: Viogner white wine
Alcohol Drink: Kamakazi
Letter: J
Body Part on Opposite sex: chest
This or That
Pepsi or Coke: Coke
McDonalds or BurgerKing: neither, I'm not a fast food fan
Strawberry or Watermelon: Strawberries!!!!
Hot tea or Ice tea: either, depends on weather
Chocolate or Vanilla Chocolate
Hot Chocolate or Coffee: Coffee
Kiss or Hug: Hug
Dog or Cat: Cat
Summer or Winter: Winter
Scary Movies or Funny Movies: Funny Movies
Love or Money: Love
YOUR...
Bedtime: as soon as possible
Most Missed Memory: playing with the Stanford band
Best physical feature: boobs
First Thought Waking Up: do I have to get up already? It's fricking 4:30am!
Goal for this year: Get my license so I can write my own presciptions
Weakness: cheese
Fears: gaining weight
Heritage: English, German, French, ....western european mutt
HAVE YOU...
Ever Drank: sure
Ever Smoked: yes
Pot:
Ever been Drunk: Yep
Ever been beaten up: no
Ever beaten someone up: no
Ever Shoplifted: gum as a 7 year old
Ever Skinny Dipped: Yep, and it's fun
Ever Kissed Opposite sex: yep
Been Dumped Lately: March 2002
IN A GUY/GIRL
Favorite Eye Color: blue
Favorite Hair Color: no preference
Short or Long: short
Height: preferably 5'8" or taller
Style: Athletic
Looks or Personality: Personality, I'll loose interest real quick if they can't carry a conversation
Hot or Cute: Cute - wouldn't want them to be full of themselves
Drugs and Alcohol: ??
Muscular or Really Skinny: Muscular
RANDOMS
Number of Regrets in the Past: Regret I didn't put Oregon first on my rank list
What country do you want to Visit: Equador
How do you want to Die: Skiing off a cliff in a blizzard
Been to the Mall Lately: A week and a half ago
Do you like Thunderstorms: Yes, they rock
Get along with your Parents: sure
Health Freak: I'd like to think I am, but I doubt it
Believe in Yourself: yes
Want to go to College: I've already been
Do you Smoke: nope
Do you Drink: sometimes
Been in Love: Yep, 3 times
Do you Sing: all the time to my boyfriend
Want to get Married: someday
Do you want Children: someday
Hate anyone: George Bush, Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, anyone who's ever perpetrated violence against abortion providers or clinics
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(comment on this)
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4:09 pm
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I'm so completely exhausted from work right now that dumb stuff like memes (don't really even know what that means) is right up my alley:
FOUR JOBS YOU'VE HAD IN YOUR LIFE
1. Obstretician/Gynecologist
2. Navy Lieutenant
3. Animal anesthesiologist
4. Lifeguard
FOUR MOVIES YOU COULD WATCH OVER AND OVER
1. Robinhood Prince of Thieves
2. Never Ending Story
3. Opposite of Sex
4. Stand by Me
FOUR CITIES YOU'VE LIVED IN
1. Mercer Island, WA
2. Palo Alto, CA
3. Downey, CA
4. Pasadena, CA
FOUR TV SHOWS YOU LOVE TO WATCH
1. Sex in the City
2. Six Feet Under
3. Sopranos
4. Scrubs
FOUR PLACES YOU'VE BEEN ON HOLIDAY
1. Antigua, Guatemala
2. Ghangzhou, China
3. London
4. Beijing
FOUR WEBSITES YOU VISIT (almost) DAILY
1. Gmail
2. Crystal Mountain Washington Weather
3. Netflix
4. New York Times
FOUR OF YOUR ALL TIME FAVORITE RESTAURANTS
1. Tarantino's
2. Mi Piace
3. La Fondue
4. Charlie's
FOUR COSTUMES YOU'VE WORN ON HALLOWEEN etc
1. Marilyn
2. Witch
3. Sock Hop girl
4.
FOUR OF YOUR FAVORITE FOODS
1. Mango
2. Kalamata olives
3. Raspberries
4. Pasta
FOUR THINGS YOU WANT RIGHT NOW
1. Sleep
2. Vacation
3. A Prius
4. An oven that works
FOUR NICKNAMES YOU'VE HAD
1. Tinachris
2. Tina Bobina
3. Stina
4. Squirrel bladder
FOUR FAVORITE PETS/ANIMALS
1. Jello - Cat
2. LMNO - Cat
3. Maggie - Springer/Cocker Spaniel mut
4. Thorton - Cat
FOUR CARS YOU'VE OWNED/DRIVEN
1. Dodge Caravan
2. '99 For Explorer
3. '92 Ford Explorer
4. '01 Honda Accord
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| Saturday, April 23rd, 2005
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8:34 am - Spanish immersion
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Tomorrow I leave for 3 weeks at a Spanish language school in Guatemala. Given that 90% of my patients for the next 4 years will be exclusively Spanish speaking, I thought it might be prudent to be a little more comfortable with the language. I've never really had any formal Spanish class; I've just picked up some of the medical lingo through interactions at County the last 2 years. It's amazing what you pick up when you're forced to, so I feel like I can ask most of the appropriate medical questions. But I still feel like I can't carry on a normal casual non-medical conversation (hence my motivation to go to Guatemala). I'm going to be staying with a Guatemalan family for immersion and doing one-on-one tutoring during the day at the school. Apparently language schools have become quite a sizeable industry in Central America and Antigua, Guatemala is supposed to be one of the best known places for the schools. I'm excited because my friend Ted, from Stanford (who recommended the school to me), is already down there, so he'll be able to show me the ropes when I get there. He leaves a week after I get there, but then my classmate Mark will be there with me during my 2nd and 3rd weeks. I'm going to try to resist the temptation of speaking English with the two of them though!
current mood:  restless
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| Monday, April 11th, 2005
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5:07 pm - My favorite subject - books!
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"List of the top 110 banned books (of all time). Bold the ones you've read. Italicize the ones you've read part of. Underline the ones you specifically want to read (at least some of). Read more. Convince others to read some."
#1 The Bible
#2 Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
#3 Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
#4 The Koran
#5 Arabian Nights
#6 Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
#7 Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
#8 Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
#9 Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
#10 Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
#11 The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
#12 Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
#13 Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
#14 Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
#15 Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
#16 Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
#17 Dracula by Bram Stoker
#18 Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin
#19 Tom Jones by Henry Fielding
#20 Essays by Michel de Montaigne
#21 Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
#22 History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon
#23 Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
#24 Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
#25 Ulysses by James Joyce
#26 Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio
#27 Animal Farm by George Orwell
#28 Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
#29 Candide by Voltaire
#30 To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
#31 Analects by Confucius
#32 Dubliners by James Joyce
#33 Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
#34 Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
#35 Red and the Black by Stendhal
#36 Das Capital by Karl Marx
#37 Flowers of Evil by Charles Baudelaire
#38 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
#39 Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence
#40 Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
#41 Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser
#42 Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
#43 Jungle by Upton Sinclair
#44 All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
#45 Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx
#46 Lord of the Flies by William Golding
#47 Diary by Samuel Pepys
#48 Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
#49 Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
#50 Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
#51 Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
#52 Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant
#53 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
#54 Praise of Folly by Desiderius Erasmus
#55 Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
#56 Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X
#57 Color Purple by Alice Walker
#59 Essay Concerning Human Understanding by John Locke
#60 Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
#61 Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
#62 One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
#63 East of Eden by John Steinbeck
#64 Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
#65 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
#66 Confessions by Jean Jacques Rousseau
#67 Gargantua and Pantagruel by Francois Rabelais
#68 Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes
#69 The Talmud
#70 Social Contract by Jean Jacques Rousseau
#71 Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
#72 Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence
#73 American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
#74 Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler
#75 Separate Peace by John Knowles
#76 Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
#77 Red Pony by John Steinbeck
#78 Popol Vuh
#79 Affluent Society by John Kenneth Galbraith
#80 Satyricon by Petronius
#81 James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
#82 Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
#83 Black Boy by Richard Wright
#84 Spirit of the Laws by Charles de Secondat Baron de Montesquieu
#85 Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
#86 Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
#87 Metaphysics by Aristotle
#88 Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
#89 Institutes of the Christian Religion by Jean Calvin
#90 Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse
#91 Power and the Glory by Graham Greene
#92 Sanctuary by William Faulkner
#93 As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
#94 Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin
#95 Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
#96 Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
#97 General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud
#98 Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
#99 Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Alexander Brown
#100 Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
#101 Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Ernest J. Gaines
#102 Emile Jean by Jacques Rousseau
#103 Nana by Emile Zola
#104 Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
#105 Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin
#106 Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
#107 Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein
#108 Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Peck
#109 Ox-Bow Incident by Walter Van Tilburg Clark
#110 Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
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| Sunday, March 27th, 2005
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10:50 am - Huge Disappointment
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Now that a week and change has passed and I've (hopefully) stopped bawling at the drop of a hat, I'm posting to say that I'm stuck in Los Angeles for another 4 years. On match day I was absolutely flabbergasted to open my envelope and find I'd dropped down to my 7th choice out of 8 in the match. As I was crying right out on the quad in front of everyone, several folks from the USC program came up to congratulate me but I just couldn't pretend that I was crying tears of joy.
I've been told that most (maybe 90%) folks at USC match to one of their top 3 choices. Given that I had interviewed at literally the 3 most competitive OB/GYN programs in the country (Harvard, UW, UCSF), it seemed like a huge mistake that I could've dropped so low as to end up in a program that's so easy to get into. My mom literally believes that there was a huge logistical mistake (and I don't think she'd just say that to make me feel better). However, the match is a binding contract and there's never been a mistake found during any hand recount in the history of the match.
I was disappointed about so many aspects of the decision that I really couldn't make sense of any of it for a while. But perhaps first was that I really had my heart set on leaving LA. That's why I only applied to one program in the whole city (mainly as a courtesy to my alma mater). I didn't want to come to LA 4 years ago for med school and it's only marginally grown on me since (I hate the crowds, smog, heat, etc). But more than that, I needed a change of pace. I feel like I'm in a huge rut now.
I was also upset because the program at USC is on probation which not only means that it could potentilly lose accreditation (in which case I'd be totally screwed) but it also means that the quality of applicants they were able to attract this year was likely considerably lower than it's historical average. I know I sound all high and mighty for saying so, but I really believe my mom when she says that I'm gonna be a big fish in a small pond, so to speak. Then there's the fact that the program has a reputation for having really unhappy residents and for being what is known as a "malignant" program. That all being said, they also have a reputation for giving so much automony and independence to residents as to border on malpractice, then end result being that USC trained residents are known to be extremely competent when they graduate. So I'll probably get good training, I'll just be miserable for 4 years which I'm getting that wonderful, self-directed experience.
The result also made me regret or at least wonder whether I'd made the right choice in terms of asking the Navy for a civilian deferment. I know that I would've been extremely happy going to the Navy program in Bethesda and was really excited about the prospect of living in DC. I ultimately decided to gamble and ask for a deferrment based on the principle of my strongly held pro-choice beliefs and the unfortunate coincidence that the Navy does not train residents to do nor does it offer abortion for any soldier or dependent. Given our current politcal climate and Reinquist's impending retirement, I didn't think I could live with myself if I waited 8 years to get trained in abortion (wanting to be a provider was part of why I went to med school in the first place and definitely a huge part of my attraction to the field of OB/GYN). If I want to be able to deliver the service to women, I decided that I really needed to get trained in abortion during residency and not take my chances that I'd be able to get the training after my Navy obligation. I do believe that the issue was and should've been a deal-breaker for me. but I can't help but be a little jealous of all my friends who are going into Navy training (the pros and cons of military versus civilian life in general is a whole other topics). But assuming hell doesn't freeze over, I will be able to learn the technique of abortion at USC, which at the moment it the ONLY silver lining. An important one no doubt, but still the only one.
current mood:  cynical
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| Monday, March 14th, 2005
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10:59 am - I Matched!
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I found out today that I did indeed match for residency, so I don't have to spend the next few days scrambling into an unfilled residency program. I still have to wait until Thursday at 10am to find out *where* I matched, but it's definitely a load off to know that someplace took me.
Here is my rank list:
1) UCSF
2) Oregon
3) UW
4) Harvard/Mass General
5) UCSD
6) Colorado
7) USC
8) Utah
I'd be happy with any of the 1st 6. If I go any lower than that, I'll be fairly disappointed (I don't want to live in LA anymore!) My gut feeling though is that I'm headed to Portland. We'll see if a few days . ..
current mood:  excited
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| Monday, January 17th, 2005
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4:15 pm - Yippee!
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After over 2 months of stressful interviews, hemming and hawing and reluctance to leave a job he loves, Charlie has accepted a new job (one that not only pays at a more attractive rate, but one that pays at regular intervals). He got interviews from at least 4 different companies, but I hope that he's happy with his final choice. He is sad to leave the field of digital film and color correction for the less artistic realm of military logistics contracting, but I think this new gig will challenge him in new ways and broaden his horizens. I'm immensely proud of him.
Incidentally, I had my last residency interview on the same day he had his last day at Silicon Color. Now I just have to decide which programs are my favorite and in what order they fall, with a deadline for submission at the end of February. Then I find out where the computer is sending me on March 17th (or is it 15th).
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| Wednesday, December 22nd, 2004
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6:36 pm
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You Are a Hunter Soul |
You are driven and ambitious - totally self motiviated to succeed
Actively working to acheive what you want, you are skillful in many areas.
You are a natural predator with strong instincts ... and more than a little demanding.
You are creative, energetic, and an extremely powerful force.
An outdoors person, you like animals and relate to them better than people.
You tend to have an explosive personality, but also a good sense of humor.
People sometimes see you as arrogant or a know it all.
You tend to be a bit of a loner, though you hate to be alone.
Souls you are most compatible with: Seeker Soul and Peacemaker Soul
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(comment on this)
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| Monday, December 20th, 2004
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7:05 am - The Navy Decides
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When I got down to my parents' posh rental place in Cabo on Wednesday, one of the first things we did was seek out internet access in the resort's administrative offices. Using a Spanish language keyboard and search engine, I logged onto the Navy GME website and found out that I will be remaining in limbo as an Ensign for another 4 years - I got my full deferrment!! My room mate Natalie also got her first choice to do a surgical internship in San Diego and I think all of my other classmates got their first choices as well. I kinda wish I could've been home to celebrate with them all, but I was in Cabo, so no complaints. When I got home last night, I got a congratulatory postcard from the wonderful couple I stayed with in Bremerton when I did Family Medicine up there. So I guess the results are common knowledge within the military. I hope Dr. Blackadar is happy with the folks he ended up with for his program in Bremerton.
current mood:  nostalgic
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| Tuesday, December 7th, 2004
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7:52 am - Mammoth Baby!!!
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So I finally made it up to Mammoth Mountain this last weekend with Charlie. I've been dieing to go the entire 3 and a half years I've been down in LA. But until now I haven't had anyone to go with me (and as much as I love skiing, I get lonely after a couple hours by myself) and it far enough away that you really need to spend the night, which is expensive. However, I figured I have 6 months of relative freedom before I become a slave to the OB/GYN gods for the next 4 years, so it's now or never.
Charlie and I left late Fri night and as a consequence, Charlie got a speeding ticket trying to rush up there. We made pretty good time nonetheless (~5hrs). I had made a reservation at the Tamarack Lodge, which has rooms with no TV and shared bathroom facilities. Charlie and I drank red wine and played Othello before passing out at ~2am. The next day we slept in b/c we planned on doing a half day to save a bit on Charlie's lift ticket and rentals. I figured 3 1/2 hrs in the afternoon would be enough for him. So I skied with him on Sat with the plan to do my own thing the next day. I was blown away by the progress he's making!! We even went on several runs that were blue square/black diamond (although I was a bit skeptical about that designation). It was clear and sunny and cold (upper teens, lower twenties) and gorgeous. They haven't seen new snow in a while, so it was pretty hard packed and crusty. The next day, I skied by myself and tried to explore the entire mountain. I found some softer patches and good moguls. But I also came across scraped-off patches in steep areas that made me second guess myself a bit (pretty uncharacteristic for me, but I am getting used to new skis). I'm not sure if I'll get back to Mammoth this year, but at least I can add it to my list of resorts skied. Gotta find some way of getting in shape though, b/c Silverton in Feb is going to kick some royal ass.
current mood:  content
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| Monday, December 6th, 2004
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12:35 pm - Portland interview
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So the 3rd trip in my whirlwind travels (the 1st being UW at the beginning of Nov which I didn't write about) was to Portland last week. I flew up and Mom drove down to pick me up at the airport. It was good to see her and it also made things easier as I didn't have to deal with a rental car or pay for the hotel!
That night was kind of crazy, because in my blitz-criege (sp?) packing I brought all the info I needed except the location of the night before resident dinner. (Most programs host an informal dinner or something the night before an interview so that you can ask the residents about the nitty-gritty of the program in a more relaxed setting). I vaguely remembered that it was at a Brewery - little did we know that there are dozens of breweries in Portland proper. I guess microbrews are a big part of the culture up there. So after calling someone at the school and calling every brewery in NW Portland, I finally got my room mate to search through my email for the info.
So I arrived at the Bridgeport Brewery a bit late, but it was all good. The residents totally talked my ear off! It was so cool to see how enthusiastic they all were about their school. Seems like they're pretty tight as a group. One of the interns in particular, Keren seemed supercool and nice. Despite the loud background noise of the place, every resident went out of their way to introduce themselves to me. One resident even brought her 2 year old son with her. One thing that really struck me though was that the other applicants all seemed nice. Even though I may or may not end up with any of them as classmates next year, I still think that it's important that I get a good vibe from them (not the case so much at UW). Looks like I'm going to run into several of them again at different points on the interview trail.
The interview day itself was awesome. I LOVE the program director. She's totally warm-fuzzy, approachable, hyper, maternal (kinda reminds me of mom). Sounds like the program places a huge emphasis on resident mental health and has every other week confidential intern vent sessions over lunch. The program also has a big interdisciplinary focus with a Center for Women's health that brings in folks of different specialties, including a couple medical acupuncturists. Of course the most important factor is the abortion training, which sounds like it may be the best in the country. Even though they have an exclusion clause, it's pretty much expected that every resident perform abortions. One fellow said she would tell antichoice folks that they wouldn't feel comfortable here. I think it's awesome that it's an environment in which abortion is treated as just another standard intervention in the spectrum of comprehensive women's health. I might have to go out on a limb and say that it's my first choice.
At the end of the day, I was exhausted. Mom and I went shopping at Loyd's Center, which has a skating rink indoors that has been there since Mom used to shop there 30 years ago. We had an early dinner in Lake Oswego and then came back to went for a dip in the hot tub.
current mood:  giddy
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| Friday, December 3rd, 2004
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2:43 pm - Interview travels
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Over Thanksgiving weekend, Charlie and I decided to combine business and pleasure, take advantage of the holiday and drive out to Colorado for an interview I had in Denver on the Monday after Thanksgiving. It would've been crazy to get a plane ticket during that time frame, so we thought we'd be adventurous.
After Thanksgiving dinner at Charlie's sister's house, we left at 5am Friday to drive towards Arizona to the Grand Canyon. I'd never been and it was especially cool because there was snow scattered over the rocks visible from the Rim. We didn't plan enough in advance to actually hike down into the canyon (something I definitely need to get back to do sometime), but we walked a few miles along the Rim. We caught the most amazing hazy pink moonrise as we were driving away as well. That night, to save money (since we have none), we stopped at a random exit in New Mexico. We rearranged the stuff in the backseat to lay out our sleeping bags and slept in the car. We would've actually camped, except that it was hovering around 20 degrees outside. Charlie brought along his parents' camping stove and boiled water for cup of soup for our dinner.
Sat we drove through the rest of New Mexico up into Colorado to arrive in Denver. It had started snowing that day and over the course of our 3 days in CO, it accumulated several inches (which I was, of course, thrilled about). Went to the Old Chicago Pub for dinner and enrolled in their program where as you drink new beers on their menu, they record them and you accumulate points and win prizes. Too bad there aren't actually any of the restaurants in CA.
Sunday we went to Loveland ski resort (closest to Denver out of the zillion resorts in Colorado). There were only 3 lifts open, but that meant we got early season lift discounts ($30 apiece compared to $72 mid season at Breckenridge). It was pefect - 2 beginner/intermediate lifts for Charlie and one more challenging one for me. I actually skied the majority of the day with Charlie, shooting off to do a few runs on my own in between runs with him. And I'm blown away by the progress Charlie has made!!!!!
That night we went to a resident hosted party at the house of a girl in the OB/GYN program there in Denver. It was fun; they all seemed pretty hip, cool and happy. Charlie got inundated by all the spouses of the residents.
The next day the interview went pretty well. I was more impressed with the program than I thought I'd be. Really hit it off with one interviewer, named Dr. Erickson. She said, "You know this is a Red State, right." She admitted that she believes the abortion training in the program is average, but that they need people like me. I guess there is pretty good access to abortion in Denver, but none to speak of in neighboring conversative Colorado Springs. Later in the day I met a faculty member named Dr. Teele who did a Family Planning fellowship at Columbia the same time my advisor Dr. Nucatola was there. It sounds like she's set up some great clinical and research opportunities in Family Planning. So I will definitely rank the program, just don't know how high yet.
The drive back from Colorado was awesome. Went West on the 70 through the Rockies. It was so gorgeous that Charlie and I went CRAZY shooting pictures out the windows, freezing our fingers off in the process. At one point going through the no-mans-land of Eastern Utah, my barometer read negative 31 degrees F. Un-fucking-believable.
current mood:  cheerful
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| Saturday, November 20th, 2004
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3:06 pm - Navy situation
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Someone asked about my situation with the Navy and I'm approaching a pretty big transition in my life, I thought I'd include it as a post in addition to the reply to a post. I did a couple rotations through Balboa and Bethesda Naval Hospitals this year and am applying for residencies both in the Navy and civilian programs as we speak. After going back and forth for several weeks about whether I could get better training in or out of the Navy, I decided to ask the Navy for a 4 year deferment of my obligation in order to do a civlian residency. The main motivation for this is that I wouldn't get trained in abortion in the Navy and I feel like that is an essential part of the training of an OB/GYN. Also, I've gotten interviews at some pretty prestigious programs such as UW, Harvard and UCSF. And as much as I love the community, family feel to the Navy, I also really value being around more progressive thinking people who feel that a woman should be able to control her reproductive capacity (among other progressive ideas). The problem is that asking the Navy for a deferment is a bit of a gamble. They will give a certain number of folks (maybe 4 although it's tough to get a straight answer) a deferment to do a civilian OB residency. But if I don't get an deferment, I may get stuck in a transitional internship which would be followed by a General Medical Officer tour on a ship, doing what I consider boring work treating colds, sprains and STD's. Also, I feel like it would be like putting my real medical career on hold as I'd have to start over in an OB/GYN residency after my GMO tour as an OB intern (internship is the worst year of your life). So, if the Navy decides to weigh spousal co-location issues of other candidates over the strength of my application in deciding who to give civilian deferments to, I may get screwed. I have to wait until middle of December to find out and it's going to be a nerve-wracking month waiting between now and then. I've been talking to countless Navy folks over the last few weeks trying to figure out the best options and feel like I've totally gotten the run around. It's impossible to get a straight answer out of anyone in the Navy, but I already knew that. If they stick me in a transitional internship instead of an OB slot (in or out of the Navy), I'll be extremely disappointed, but that's the way the cookie crumbles I guess.
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12:02 pm - Travel
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| Monday, March 10th, 2003
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7:05 am - Life is Good
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Maybe meeting out of town guys isn’t such a bad thing after all. I just spent the most wonderful 9 hours with Mr. Wonderful from San Diego yesterday. And as crazy as it is, I think we’re actually gonna see if we can make a long distance thing work (as my room mate says, San Diego really isn’t that far!) I met him down in Santa Monica at 3rd street promenade. We went out for lunch, walked around, went down and sat on the pier and just talked for hours, etc. I really think I’m falling for this guy, which is dangerous because it’ll be torture waiting until I can see him again. The odd thing is that I think I’m drawn to him for many of the same reasons I was originally drawn to Erich (and yes, I am definitely over Erich). He’s just really kind and considerate and sweet and laid back. The music connection is obviously a major bonus too. He was so adorable – he was enthralled with almost every little kid we came across that afternoon. I was just beaming as I was driving home last night. It’s been a while since a guy has hit me this hard.
current mood: content
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| Wednesday, February 26th, 2003
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12:25 pm - Too much excitement?
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It’s been a while since I’ve posted, so where to start? What to include? May not want to get too personal depending on who might be reading this . . .
Last week I spent the most AMAZING 6 days up in Whistler with some good ole college friends: Barb (my best friend in the entire world (well I have two best friends, Tatum from HS being the other one)), Don (who happens to be both Barb and my ex), Russ, Wilson, Nordby and Nordby’s woman Kristen. Made for an interesting group dymanic. 4 days of excellent skiing, including hiking up to some double-black diamond areas with some pretty hairy chutes (haven’t been that scared and exhilarated for quite a while), skiing in/out of the condo, hot-tubbing every afternoon to soothe the sore muscles, going out on the town every night (including a $550 bar tab one night where our group was split in 2 and we were ordering shots back and forth for each other) and just great company. Got to know Wilson quite a bit better (had always been friendly with him throughout college, just never really taken the time to talk to him). Pretty cool guy. Could not have been a better trip. We went to Utah 2 years ago and it looks like this is gonna become a yearly tradition (I hope to God I can go next year, my hospital rotation schedule permitting). It was pretty difficult to make the rough transition back to reality.
On a somewhat related note (?), I seem to be continuing my worrisome trend of finding guys outside LA much more interesting than those here in LA. I’ve actually been on several dates recently with LA guys and I’ve had fun, enjoyed their company, but none of them give me the butterflies in the stomach. None of them have really “done IT” for me. So the question is, do you have to have the butterflies right away for it to be worth it? Am I only really interested in guys with no possible future (i.e. long distance) because I’m really not looking for anything serious as I had assumed I was? I.e. am I sabotaging myself?
Btw – I’ve taken tons of pictures recently with my digital camera, including some of the San Diego road trip with Bill and of Whistler. You can view them at www-scf.usc.edu/~jahncke.
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| Saturday, February 8th, 2003
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6:49 pm - Good old times
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I just got back from visiting my little brother Bill and various other band people down in San Diego for the weekend to see Nurith. I always have such a great time with my old possee (sp?) We went to a UCSD pep band bonfire on the beach which was simple but fun. Roasted marshmellows, met a bunch of UCSD folks, went wading in the waves, got inspired to go to Davis Day this year (I've gotta see Rojo conduct at some point). It's kind of cool how I felt right at home with all these people I just met because they're just like us (us being the Stanford band). It was overcast and there was a thunderstorm out off shore that lit up the sky periodically because the light would zip through the clouds. I went out wading by myself, starting practicing my monologue and got so lost in my surroundings that I almost temporarily forgot where I was.
After the bonfire, some of us went to this guy Hans' apartment and ended up playing the princess bride drinking game and answering Trivial pursuit questions til all hours of the morning (meaning past 4am). I only got 3 hours of sleep because I had to wake up early to go to a MSFC meeting in Irvine. I was tempted to return that night, but I was too wiped out to do the extra driving.
As a side note, I probably shouldn't mention this, but I have to complain about my incessant tendency to meet wonderful guys who don't live in LA. I met a guy who's an alumnus of the UCSD band who is really cool and who I am more attracted to than I've been to anyone in a long time. I noticed him at the bonfire and then I ended up talking to him a good portion of the evening. And I think he might've been interested in me too, so why does he have to live in San Diego? Live is so unfair.
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| Friday, January 31st, 2003
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11:11 pm
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| Wednesday, January 29th, 2003
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8:53 pm - Yeah Women!
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Well, it’s certainly been an eventful last week or so. Last week was the 30th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, so we organized some events to celebrate. We handed out condom goody bags at lunch one day and had cake and showed a commemorative video on the day itself. Encountered some opposition from a lone right-wing fundamentalist Christian in the 1st year class who put up photos of “fetuses” and compared abortion to slavery and abortionists to Nazi doctors. One of my friends was really emotional over the comparisons, but I just thought they were so ludicrous that it didn’t phase me. A bunch of us went to a Candlelight vigil at the Federal building in LA where people driving by would “Honk if you’re Pro-Choice” and a few big wig types spoke to the crowd. The same group of us were privileged enough to be invited to a really swanky $500/plate fundraising dinner that Planned Parenthood was putting on (we were all sponsored by big donors, you think medical students have that kind of money?!) It was amazing. Cameron Manheim (from Law and Order) was the host, Governor Davis, Fred Savage, Diane Keaton and Sybil Sherpherd, among zillions of other celebrities were there. A couple of us even got to meet Kim Katrel and Christine Davis from Sex and the City (the show got an award for courageous and honest portrayal of Miranda having to make a decision about an unintended pregnancy).
The next day, I left with a lot of the same people to go to the national meeting of the American Medical Women’s Association in Atlanta. There were a few good sessions, like one on international issues in women’s health (like the eradication of health care for women under the Taliban, trafficking of child wives and the tragedy of obstetric fistulas) and one on the legalities of contraceptive coverage in insurance plans. These kind of meetings are always great for networking too. Met a couple really inspiring OB/GYN’s. Got inspired to try to start a reproductive health elective at my school for 4th years. Hung out with awesome people from my school and from UCLA. Even did a bit of sight-seeing such as Centennial Park (Olympics central) and the Coca Cola museum (they had 42 different flavors of pop you could try!)
Now my head is spinning.
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