goodmorning moon

For me optimism is two lovers walking into the sunset arm in arm. Or maybe into the sunrise-whatever appeals to you.
-Krzysztof Kielsowski

It's seeming a lot like crunch time now in terms of figuring out what I want to do with my future medical degree. We have to pick our electives for 4th year starting next week and it is really quite helpful if one knows where one might be headed, specialty wise, at this juncture. It's actually sort of a tricky thing about medical school. For the first two years, they don't tell you anything about electives or the residency matching process, then they launch you into third year where you have to adopt an essential-services-only approach to life. During which they ask you to quickly make a decision about what you might like to do with your career. It's tricky. Still trying to decide between Family, Internal, Emergency, Pediatrics......

Well, it's just after 9pm and it feels an awful lot like bedtime. Apparently we round at 0600hrs on wednesdays.

glue-stick asparagus sushi roll

"I'm the Rhyme-nocerous. Hip-hop-ppotomas."

-General Surgeon, performing a resection of a parathyroid adenoma

Well, this is my first post from the hospital and my last saturday call shift for the forseeable future (4-6 wks). My parents are in town this weekend braving the hordes of over-enthusiastic home-self-improvers, endeavouring to buy us a sofa. Best of luck to them. I'm sooooo glad it's them and not me. We are in dire need of said piece of furniture, mostly because if we don't have something comfy to sit on, we tend to lie down on the bed after dinner to relax leading to accidental 8pm bedtimes. Whoops.

Surgery continues to live up to its stereotypes. Some of the characters are so bizarre. When it's not frustrating, it can be quite entertaining.

Planning on going to Nelson for my elective mid-march. If you are also planning on being in the Kootenays-let me know. We'll go skiing.

fish bowl

Doctors are sadists who like to play god and laugh at the pain of lesser people
-Bren, Juno

I have the weekend off from being an overqualified, mobile stethoscope rack and bored surgical retractor who should "work out more" (according to the middle-aged 5 foot tall asian man holding the cautery). He's probably right, but still, I took that specific insult somewhat personally, which is a mistake when you're doing a surgical rotation I think. Best to act more like the rack and the retractor.

So, I'm not going to be a surgeon, I've figured that out at least. It's not just that the actual rotation is poorly set up and not particularly fun, but the surgery itself doesn't really do much for me. Some medical students, get excited enough about being a part of the actual surgery to put up with the rest of the stuff they make you deal with, but I've actually been surprised how little I'm enamoured with being in the OR. Surgery is arguably one of the more useful parts of the medical machine, and I'm glad there are people who want to do it, but I'm not one of them.

overhead smack!

Surgery starts tomorrow. I've had a great break and I feel like I can handle the hospital again. I've been waiting to post this video. Do you think the staff will think it's cool if I dress like Turk does for my first day?

Vine Update: I live here now. Living room still doesn't exist but we're getting there.