Rank List Due.

The Rank List for medical students around the U.S. is due tomorrow, by 9pm ET. I'm so nervous submitting this list. I'm incredibly scared. This list almost seals the fate of my next three years and my future as a physician. Each item on the list takes me on a different pathway to becoming a somewhat different physician.

Match Day will definitively seal the fate of our next three-seven years.

Courage. Do not follow where the path may lead... go instead where there is no path and blaze a trail.

How about creating a tiny path instead of blazing a new magnificent trail?

Notable Quote. Friendship.

E. B. White:

You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing. I wove my webs for you because I liked you. After all, what's a life, anyway? We're born, we live a little while, we die. A spider's life can't help being something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone's life can stand a little of that.

Charlotte, "Charlotte's Web"

Ode to Misty Bear.

A friend commented how mean it sounds that I've never praised Misty Bear, the cat. I've never had to. She's never needed praise. She never had problems learning how/where to eat, drink water, use the litter box. I suppose I've praised her when I pick her up and cuddle her. She tolerates the cuddling and waits it out. She's currently has her two paws on my right shoulder. She's unusually affectionate. It should last about 3-5 days. Then, she will return to her aloof self. I also speak sweetly to her when she naps on my bed. She looks real cute. She's solid grey and my bed is pink. :)

FRIENDSHIP.
Deng Ming-Dao:

Those truly linked don't need correspondence. When they meet again after many years apart, Their friendship is as true as ever.

Misty Bear, the cat.

Misty is my brother's Russian Blue kitten. She's about 6 months old by now.

I praised her today for playing in her new pet carrier. I placed all her favorite toys in her carrier to encourage positive feelings towards the carrier. She stared at me wide-eyed for several seconds. At this point, I realized that I had probably never praised her before. She came over to be petted. Not sure if she realized that I wasn't calling her, but was praising her for being in the carrier. Either way, no harm done.

I also bought her a collar a couple days ago. She kept spinning around in circles trying to catch the bell on the collar. I cut the bell off. She's much better now.

Notable Quotes. Success & Excellence.

Success is not reached by chance. It is reached by choice.

Excellence. Set your sights far above the merely secure and mediocre, and whatever course you chose will not be a chore, but an adventure.

We should choose success. We should choose the challenge.

However, I also read an article on the underearner. An underearner believes there is more respect in hard work as compared to light work with good compensation. He constantly undervalues his skills and is not adequately compensated for them. Now if I choose the course with more work and equal pay versus the course with less work and equal pay, am I essentially choosing to be an underearner? In this case though, I may chose to work harder to gain skills that will improve the quality of physician that I will become. Decisions.

Bumper Sticker.

I saw a bumper sticker on the way home tonight.

"University of Houston-Houston, TX."

Where else would it be?

Home Improvements.

I did some superficial, socially related soul-searching and found flaws. While these flaws may be part of who I am, they also make me appear mean, rude, inconsiderate and flakey. Here are some areas I will try to improve. No promises.

-Don't say mean things just because I think they're funny and might make people laugh. In other words, be nice. Lessen the gossip. Reduce the nosiness. If someone doesn't personally tell you, then it's none of your business.
-Minimize the interruptions. This can be a big problem at times.
-Avoid racial comments. Although never meant to be hurtful, you never know when someone may have their feelings hurt.
-Make it a point to introduce yourself to people and get their names.
-Lessen my externalized internal monologue.
-Sit up straight.

Feeling Small.

Marian Wright Edelman:

No one, Eleanor Roosevelt said, can make you feel inferior without your consent. Never give it.

http://www.wisdomquotes.com/cat_attitude.html

Drowsiness.

Here's a website with a t-shirt for everyone. www.palmercash.com I can't stop looking at all the t-shirts. There's "Guns don't kill people, people with mustaches kill people," and "Mojitos, mo'problems." There's the Liger T-shirt and "Keeping it Rural." By the way, rural is pronounced rur-l. Well, check them out. They're funny.

Graduation Update. I received my first recruitment phone call today, as well as several e-mails. Interesting. I say they can send me all the salsa they want! (One program sent me salsas in the mail.) I also tried to order my cap and gown; however, there seems to be one size of gown for everyone under 200lbs. I'm looking into this.

Here's one more: El Salvador, a sunny place for shady people. Hee-hee.

Remember this song?

Does anyone remember this song? I removed the chorus.

I close my eyes, only for a moment, and the moment's gone
All my dreams, pass before my eyes, a curiosity

Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea
All we do, crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see

Don't hang on, nothing lasts forever, but the earth and sky
It slips away, all your money won't another minute buy

Politics.

What I'm learning from this rotation is to pick your workplace carefully, a smile and cheeriness works to get you out of trouble or just to confuse and distract people most of the time and doctors do marry their secretaries.

One of my team members hates her job. She was hired to do one thing and then slowly given more and more responsiblities. Now, she takes call 4 times a week and has four bosses. Today I hid from her because she was venting to me. She was very upset.

I'm also learning the meaning of geriatrics. Dementia, no matter what the cause, is dementia. It's not nice. My patient has insight into her disease (dementia) and it's the insight that's eating her up. She ran a local ER. She was a multitasker. Now she couldn't cook a meal at home. She panicked when we discussed the various things to be done over the next few days because she couldn't remember them. The realization that she is not who she used to be overwhelmed her.

Don't forget a smile goes a long way ;)

Nick At Nite

Did you guys watch nick at nite as children? Remember The Dick Van Dyke Show, Mr. Ed (the talking horse), the one with the two identical cousins. You will not believe what shows are on nick at night now. For example,

Full House
The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air
Who's the Boss?
Wings
The Cosby Show
Roseanne
Fatherhood (don't know that one)

What's going on here?!

A Couple Things are going on right now. One is that my Step 2 Clinical Knowledge is over. I took the test Wednesday, February 1st, which was also my third day of Neurology. I've started my Neurology Rotation. It's my last core to graduate. I also need one more elective, which is scheduled for next month.

I saw a great bumper sticker yesterday. I can't find it online to show you though. It read "Honk If you've seen La Llorona." I would offer tthe story of La Llorona but I get scared. Here's the website: www.lallorona.com. Warning: It scared me. The pictures whisper at you.

Our rank list for the residency programs is due soon. Decisions have to be made. AH!

Success is not reached by chance. It is reached by choice! :)