1) Match Day - On March 17th, incidentally St. Patrick's Day, I find out where I will be going for residency. It is called Match Day as you "match" to a residency program. My whole med school class will get together in an auditorium full of family and friends and, one by one, approach the podium to announce their match. At the moment I am not too stressed about it but that day will definitely dictate much of the rest of our lives. I feel strongly that I had good interviews with the programs and that I will match someplace that both Kate and I are happy. That was priority numero uno in choosing programs, happiness...especially Kate's...then mine...and the dogs.
2) Surgery - Last Monday I had sinus surgery round #2. Sinus surgery round #1 was back in high school when an attempt to fix my deviated septum failed. So I thought before residency I would try again to see if I could relieve some chronic congestion --> fatigue --> headaches --> bad mood. The surgery this time consisted of fixing my still deviated septum, shaving down my lower turbinates, and endoscopically cleaning out my sinuses and dilating the opening to my sinuses. The recovery is not fun! It is not fun! Not at all! I have one, maybe two, giant splints lodged in my nose. These cause problems with airflow (my mouth gets extremely dry at night), smell (I probably shouldn't be cooking), and taste (you could feed me poo and I wouldn't know). And I have to include this gory detail: Immediately post-operatively blood from the surgery is swallowed and subsequently regurgitated. My first memory upon waking is puking, the nurse said I hit the wall. Enough said. So this coming Monday I can blow my nose again and on Wednesday I get these splints out of my nose so I can taste, smell, and breathe again. I can't wait. On a positive note, I have got to spend the entire week off with Kate and the dogs and have progressed my thoughts on the sense of smell, especially as it relates to taste.
3) Kate's an OCCN - OCCN = Oncology Certified ? Nurse. The month of January and part of February she studied hard to take the OCCN test and in February she passed! Not only passed, but got the highest scores on each section! I think it not only gives you incentive such as higher pay or an easier time finding a job, but also a deeper dedication to your profession and the patients of which it consists. On our recent trip to Chicago we celebrated by visiting many of the city's fine dining establishments. And, her official OCCN certificate came in the mail today. It was jammed into our mailbox by the mailman and the envelope read: "Do not bend, license enclosed". So it goes.
4) Some music - Back in December some friends introduced me to the Local Natives album "Gorilla Manor". It took me a while to get around to listening to it but the album quickly grew on me. After hearing the harmonies, prominent drums, and the lead singers voice I was hooked. It would be fair to say I listen to it once per day and wish I could muster up the same sound both vocally and instrumentally. I believe they are from Los Angeles, were on NPRs top albums (don't remember if voted by listener or NPR hosts), and just played Walt Disney Concert Hall backed by a full orchestra (apparently quite the honor)! So without further ado, here is a link to an impromptu performance in Paris. It was sent to me by the Nanook of the North (Elliot Hohn) who introduced me to the band, enjoy:
http://www.blogotheque.net/Local-Natives,5885
5) A couple pictures -
Thanks for reading!
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