i just finished watching the josh groban awake live concert. (don't get too excited. it was just on my computer, not actually LIVE in concert.) i'm not sure what it is about certain music, but i've always been moved by his stuff. i love music that i can i turn up real loud, close my eyes, and get lost in. josh groban is one of those.
i don't post much that is hugely positive. i'm not into sharing the sappy side of myself. but i thought once a year or so wouldn't kill me.
i'm really grateful that all of us are unique. i'm grateful that God gave us all different talents. i love that we're all different. i love that there are people strong enough to stand against apartheid. i love that the world has those that can heal others or run all night on a basketball court. i love that even though i'd have a panic attack and puke if i had to be on stage in front of a gazillion people, there's someone like josh groban that loves it. and even though i couldn't sing to save my life, he was blessed with this fabulous voice that inspires people. i so love watching someone do something they enjoy and have a passion for. it's one of the reasons i (most of the time), like hearing about what the doc did during the day.
music for me has always been a very powerful thing. it has strong spiritual and emotional power over me - which can be good or bad. music helps fall asleep. music keeps me going when i have work to do. music helps me focus when my mind is wandering. insanely loud music helps me relax when my brain is on overload. and whether i'm in the mood for josh groban or audizen (check them out, our friend ete is the lead singer) or beastie boys or hilary weeks... i'm glad for all the choices. i'm glad everyone has their own style and their own talents.
i can't sing on stage or help end apartheid. i'm not tall enough to slam dunk. but i'm sure glad there are people that can do those things. i like the balance of it all. i know God blessed each of us with something special, something different from the person next to us. i'm grateful to those who are willing to share that something special they got from Him.
2.27.2009
2.26.2009
corruption
i've never been fond of unions. i never really have thought they've done more good than not. i've just always felt it's sorta like insurance. if you live in a place where you have to participate, then you pay all these union dues for pretty much no reason at all. just like you pay all your insurance fees and hardly ever see any benefit from them.
through this whole medical career process, we've tried not to be picky about the 'where' the path takes us. we've been more concerned with making sure we could just continue along the path. when we landed a med school that was still getting accredited, we thought it might be a good thing. the whole pioneering feeling and all. we were wrong. it was way more trouble than it was worth. but it got us to the next step, and in the end, that's all that was needed. now, this residency has turned out to be a similar experience. it's been the residents having to do everything themselves. now that it's our last year, things are finally starting to turn around. of course, it's because the residents made it happen. it's nice to see change, but it's a bummer to see the change on our way out.
the one last little problem (i say little very loosely) is that we still have trips that doc M took early last year that we still haven't been reimbursed for. month after month we ask when the check might be coming. and finally, last fall, we find out that the program is under investigation for misuse of funds and all accounts are frozen! FROZEN! really? and we're just finding out about this? meanwhile several thousand dollars in conference fees and travel expenses are sitting on our credit card, gaining interest. and as more REQUIRED classes or conferences come up throughout this last year of residency, we continue to shell out (well, the credit card companies are shelling it out) the funds for them, with no hopes of being paid back. and we just found out yesterday that the program director is writing himself checks for all of his own conferences so that he is getting reimbursed, while the residents still sit waiting for theirs.
finally yesterday the doc tried to track down a union rep. union? what's that? oh right. that's the mysterious place out there that these fees have been automatically been sent to each month for 4.5 years. i guess now it's time to get some benefit out of all those fees we've been paying. or is it? messages have been left for the rep. will we be called back? in about 5 months we won't even be living in the state of new jersey. i wonder who will care then.
through this whole medical career process, we've tried not to be picky about the 'where' the path takes us. we've been more concerned with making sure we could just continue along the path. when we landed a med school that was still getting accredited, we thought it might be a good thing. the whole pioneering feeling and all. we were wrong. it was way more trouble than it was worth. but it got us to the next step, and in the end, that's all that was needed. now, this residency has turned out to be a similar experience. it's been the residents having to do everything themselves. now that it's our last year, things are finally starting to turn around. of course, it's because the residents made it happen. it's nice to see change, but it's a bummer to see the change on our way out.
the one last little problem (i say little very loosely) is that we still have trips that doc M took early last year that we still haven't been reimbursed for. month after month we ask when the check might be coming. and finally, last fall, we find out that the program is under investigation for misuse of funds and all accounts are frozen! FROZEN! really? and we're just finding out about this? meanwhile several thousand dollars in conference fees and travel expenses are sitting on our credit card, gaining interest. and as more REQUIRED classes or conferences come up throughout this last year of residency, we continue to shell out (well, the credit card companies are shelling it out) the funds for them, with no hopes of being paid back. and we just found out yesterday that the program director is writing himself checks for all of his own conferences so that he is getting reimbursed, while the residents still sit waiting for theirs.
finally yesterday the doc tried to track down a union rep. union? what's that? oh right. that's the mysterious place out there that these fees have been automatically been sent to each month for 4.5 years. i guess now it's time to get some benefit out of all those fees we've been paying. or is it? messages have been left for the rep. will we be called back? in about 5 months we won't even be living in the state of new jersey. i wonder who will care then.
2.15.2009
costly travel
sometimes i'm really amazed that hotels and rental car agencies can stay in business. i'm baffled that people actually pay full rate for these things. i guess they're the same people that pay full price for name-brand kid clothes and throw their 40% off craft store coupons away without looking through the weekly ads.
we've decided to take a trip to san diego to just look around. we kept thinking we wouldn't go down until sometime in june when it was close enough to the move to actually put a deposit on something. with rentals, you can't really find something ahead of time. they don't really advertise them until they're available. at least this is what we've seen from the ads online. vegas does things differently, but i guess this is how they do it in SD. so it's just been really nerve-racking to not know at all where we'll be living or even how big our place will be. and i know that a reconnaissance trip like this won't answer those things. but we're hoping to get a feel of the geography and the neighborhoods, so that at least we can envision location and surroundings when we look at ads online. doc macguyver has a week off in march and since flight prices have dropped, we thought we'd take advantage of the time to go out and scout around.
i got the flights and the babysitting all taken care of and then it was on to the rental car and accommodations. and every time i get a deal when we travel, i just don't understand WHY people DO NOT use priceline!!! we are going to be staying at the woodfin in san diego. the rate on their website (make sure you check out the pics on their site) for the time we will be there is $157/night. i used priceline and we're paying a whopping $44/night. pool, hot tub, free breakfast, free internet, free parking. WHY ON EARTH would you book the hotel through their site???? i just don't understand how they stay in business that way. now on to the car. a piddly economy car is running about $46/day on hertz's website. that's more than i am paying for the hotel. was i going to pay that for my car? i think you know the answer to that one. then i checked costco. oddly enough, they were the same price. that's a rarity. hotwire wanted $20/day. i still thought that was a bit high. i mean we paid $10/day in chicago. why should it be twice that in san diego? so i booked it through priceline and got $15/day. yes, $10/day would've been better, but i think i'll take what i got and be happy with it.
priceline is tricky if you've never used it before. i use bidding for travel for instructions and to know what prices i can expect to get in any given city. the BFT website is even more complicated that priceline if you don't know what to look for, but it has definitely been an invaluable resource to me on more than one occasion. if you have questions or need help deciphering the info, don't hestitate to ask. i'm more than willing to show you how to get started. because WHY should you be paying $100 more per night than you have to for your hotel room?!
one of these days when i'm not restricted to traveling on certain dates because of a work schedule, i'll be using priceline for my flights. because even though $240 RT from coast to coast is a better deal than before, i still believe it should cost less.
we've decided to take a trip to san diego to just look around. we kept thinking we wouldn't go down until sometime in june when it was close enough to the move to actually put a deposit on something. with rentals, you can't really find something ahead of time. they don't really advertise them until they're available. at least this is what we've seen from the ads online. vegas does things differently, but i guess this is how they do it in SD. so it's just been really nerve-racking to not know at all where we'll be living or even how big our place will be. and i know that a reconnaissance trip like this won't answer those things. but we're hoping to get a feel of the geography and the neighborhoods, so that at least we can envision location and surroundings when we look at ads online. doc macguyver has a week off in march and since flight prices have dropped, we thought we'd take advantage of the time to go out and scout around.
i got the flights and the babysitting all taken care of and then it was on to the rental car and accommodations. and every time i get a deal when we travel, i just don't understand WHY people DO NOT use priceline!!! we are going to be staying at the woodfin in san diego. the rate on their website (make sure you check out the pics on their site) for the time we will be there is $157/night. i used priceline and we're paying a whopping $44/night. pool, hot tub, free breakfast, free internet, free parking. WHY ON EARTH would you book the hotel through their site???? i just don't understand how they stay in business that way. now on to the car. a piddly economy car is running about $46/day on hertz's website. that's more than i am paying for the hotel. was i going to pay that for my car? i think you know the answer to that one. then i checked costco. oddly enough, they were the same price. that's a rarity. hotwire wanted $20/day. i still thought that was a bit high. i mean we paid $10/day in chicago. why should it be twice that in san diego? so i booked it through priceline and got $15/day. yes, $10/day would've been better, but i think i'll take what i got and be happy with it.
priceline is tricky if you've never used it before. i use bidding for travel for instructions and to know what prices i can expect to get in any given city. the BFT website is even more complicated that priceline if you don't know what to look for, but it has definitely been an invaluable resource to me on more than one occasion. if you have questions or need help deciphering the info, don't hestitate to ask. i'm more than willing to show you how to get started. because WHY should you be paying $100 more per night than you have to for your hotel room?!
one of these days when i'm not restricted to traveling on certain dates because of a work schedule, i'll be using priceline for my flights. because even though $240 RT from coast to coast is a better deal than before, i still believe it should cost less.
good decisions are rare
my decisions around here don't stick very often. and if i had to look back over the years (only the married ones - to look back further than that would only worsen the statistics), i could probably count on 1 hand the decisions i've made that became permanently ingrained into our lives. those are the good ones. one of them has definitely proven its worth over and over again and that's the weekly plan sheets that i print each week and put on the fridge. there are 2 weeks up at a time. they show anything the kids and i are doing throughout the week that has a time-frame associated with it. they show holidays, birthdays, the doc's call shifts and when he is off and any other meetings he has to attend, the meal plan for the week, and the chores assigned to each kid for the week. before i was pregnant with the bossy one (the last) i was working mary kay full time. i would be asked a million questions a day about if i was going anywhere, what was for dinner, what stores we were visiting while we ran errands, etc. at a mary kay conference that i attended, one of the speakers talked about organizing your home life, so that you could in turn have a clearer head to run your business with. the weekly schedules and meal plans were her idea. i implemented it over 3 years ago and it has been going strong ever since. everyone loves to look at the sheet and see what is going on the next day and what we're eating. it saved tons in grocery bill because i started buying only the food i needed for the meals that week, instead of buying whatever looked yummy in the store or what was on sale. (ok sales aren't bad, but i'm a sucker for them, and if something is on sale i would just buy it even if i didn't need it)
the other decision that has been heaven-sent, is the very recent switch to a 4-day school schedule. i know i already posted the success of the first week. but now after 2 weeks of it, i'm amazed that everyone has stuck to the daily schedule both weeks and that everyone actually likes it! luigi got all is work done by 1pm thursday and has been 'off' ever since. it's truly miraculous. and, of course, the pessimist that i am, i don't expect it to last. i expect him to go right back to his lazy rebellious self tomorrow. but for now, i'll be happy that i found a system that got him back on track for 2 whole weeks! (we'll address the sneaking into the master bedroom watching non-kid movies while we're not home later)
the other decision that has been heaven-sent, is the very recent switch to a 4-day school schedule. i know i already posted the success of the first week. but now after 2 weeks of it, i'm amazed that everyone has stuck to the daily schedule both weeks and that everyone actually likes it! luigi got all is work done by 1pm thursday and has been 'off' ever since. it's truly miraculous. and, of course, the pessimist that i am, i don't expect it to last. i expect him to go right back to his lazy rebellious self tomorrow. but for now, i'll be happy that i found a system that got him back on track for 2 whole weeks! (we'll address the sneaking into the master bedroom watching non-kid movies while we're not home later)
2.13.2009
the replacement
blabbers (the 2nd oldest) seems to have all the 'mommy' qualities i wasn't born with. she's been changing diapers and doing most mom duties for the youngest since she was 8. of course, the youngest is always the most spoiled, and our miss bossy bess is no exception. if miss bess is tired or lonely or hungry or fussy, blabbers can always calm her down and get her what she needs. they play together, eat together, share a room together, read together, and whatever else. so when i got miss bess all ready for her nap last week, i had her go to the bathroom and get her pull-ups on. then we proceeded into her room to get her in bed. 'no, i want sister!', she starts whining. i told her that her sister wasn't taking a nap, she had schoolwork to do. 'i want sister to tuck me in!', she says. no more tucking her in for naps or bedtime from her parents.
i've finally been replaced! hip hip hooray!
i've finally been replaced! hip hip hooray!
2.08.2009
one down, many to go
i think i can say we've officially switched to a 4-day school schedule. we finished our first week last week. i created a new look for the kids' assignment sheets and added a few things to it. doc macgyver is now tasked with doing science experiments with them on saturdays and i'm so glad to be relieved of the responsibility. not that i was doing it anyway, but i still felt responsible. besides, isn't that the most enjoyable part of science anyway? the doc would be a much better homeschool teacher than i and he has always expressed his frustration that he doesn't have more time to teach the kids stuff. so they have done it for 2 saturdays in a row now and it's been working really well. and even though it's only been 1 week, the 4-day schedule was fabulous. of course, luigi (the oldest) didn't get his work done by thursday night so he didn't get the day off friday. but at least he's starting monday all caught up, which is miraculous in and of itself. and dash (the 1st grader) asked me 3 times over the course of the day if he needed to start his handwriting. we had to remind him he had the day off. no one had to remind me that's for sure! i'm notorious for taking the day off even when i shouldn't, so this time it was nice to hibernate and know that it was ok. we didn't get through the week free of frustrations, but i think we still made progress.
here's to many more 4-day work weeks ahead...
here's to many more 4-day work weeks ahead...
2.04.2009
LIFE
thought this was cool. stole it from a friend.
-----------------------------------------------------
The ones I've done are in GREEN
The ones I haven't done but would like to are in BLUE
The ones I will probably never do are in RED
Started your own blog
Slept under the stars
Played in a band
Visited Hawaii
Watched a meteor shower
Given more than you can afford to charity
Been to Disneyland
Climbed a mountain
Held a praying mantis
Sang a solo
Visited Paris
Watched a lightning storm at sea
Taught yourself an art from scratch
Adopted a child
Had food poisoning
Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
Grown your own vegetables
Slept on an overnight train
Had a pillow fight
Hitch hiked
Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
Held a lamb
Gone skinny dipping
Run a Marathon
Seen a total eclipse
Watched a sunrise or sunset
Hit a home run
Been on a cruise
Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
Seen an Amish community
Fired a rifle, shotgun or pistol
Michelangelo’s David
Sung karaoke
Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
Bought a stranger a meal
Visited Africa
Walked on a beach by moonlight
Been transported in an ambulance
Had your portrait painted
Gone deep sea fishing
Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
Kissed in the rain
Played in the mud
Gone to a drive-in theater
Visited the Great Wall of China
Started a business
Taken a martial arts class
Visited Russia
Served at a soup kitchen
Sold Girl Scout Cookies
Gone whale watching
Got flowers for no reason
Donated blood, platelets or plasma
Gone sky diving
Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
Flown in a helicopter
Visited the Lincoln Memorial
Eaten Caviar
Pieced a quilt
Stood in Times Square
Been fired from a job
Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
Been on a speeding motorcycle
Seen the Grand Canyon in person
Published something
Bought a brand new car
Walked in Jerusalem
Visited the White House
Had chickenpox
Sat on a jury
Met someone famous
Joined a book club
Lost a loved one
Had a baby
Seen the Alamo in person
Swam in the Ocean
Owned a cell phone
Been stung by a bee
Seen Mount Rushmore in person
Learned to play an instrument
Held a tarantula
Touched an iceberg
Changed a baby’s diaper
Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
Had a food fight
Had a snowball fight
Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
Ridden a roller coaster
Visited all 50 states
Taken a road-trip
Milked a cow
Been in a movie
Crashed a party
Made cookies from scratch
Gotten a tattoo
Rafted the Snake River
Performed on stage
Been to Las Vegas
Eaten shark
Bought a house
Been in a combat zone
Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
Touched a stingray
Broken a bone
Ridden a horse
Eaten sushi
Had your picture in the newspaper
Gone back to school
Eaten fried green tomatoes
Killed and prepared an animal for eating
Dyed your hair
Caused a car accident
Saved someone’s life
-----------------------------------------------------
The ones I've done are in GREEN
The ones I haven't done but would like to are in BLUE
The ones I will probably never do are in RED
Started your own blog
Slept under the stars
Played in a band
Visited Hawaii
Watched a meteor shower
Given more than you can afford to charity
Been to Disneyland
Climbed a mountain
Held a praying mantis
Sang a solo
Visited Paris
Watched a lightning storm at sea
Taught yourself an art from scratch
Adopted a child
Had food poisoning
Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
Grown your own vegetables
Slept on an overnight train
Had a pillow fight
Hitch hiked
Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
Held a lamb
Gone skinny dipping
Run a Marathon
Seen a total eclipse
Watched a sunrise or sunset
Hit a home run
Been on a cruise
Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
Seen an Amish community
Fired a rifle, shotgun or pistol
Michelangelo’s David
Sung karaoke
Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
Bought a stranger a meal
Visited Africa
Walked on a beach by moonlight
Been transported in an ambulance
Had your portrait painted
Gone deep sea fishing
Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
Kissed in the rain
Played in the mud
Gone to a drive-in theater
Visited the Great Wall of China
Started a business
Taken a martial arts class
Visited Russia
Served at a soup kitchen
Sold Girl Scout Cookies
Gone whale watching
Got flowers for no reason
Donated blood, platelets or plasma
Gone sky diving
Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
Flown in a helicopter
Visited the Lincoln Memorial
Eaten Caviar
Pieced a quilt
Stood in Times Square
Been fired from a job
Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
Been on a speeding motorcycle
Seen the Grand Canyon in person
Published something
Bought a brand new car
Walked in Jerusalem
Visited the White House
Had chickenpox
Sat on a jury
Met someone famous
Joined a book club
Lost a loved one
Had a baby
Seen the Alamo in person
Swam in the Ocean
Owned a cell phone
Been stung by a bee
Seen Mount Rushmore in person
Learned to play an instrument
Held a tarantula
Touched an iceberg
Changed a baby’s diaper
Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
Had a food fight
Had a snowball fight
Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
Ridden a roller coaster
Visited all 50 states
Taken a road-trip
Milked a cow
Been in a movie
Crashed a party
Made cookies from scratch
Gotten a tattoo
Rafted the Snake River
Performed on stage
Been to Las Vegas
Eaten shark
Bought a house
Been in a combat zone
Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
Touched a stingray
Broken a bone
Ridden a horse
Eaten sushi
Had your picture in the newspaper
Gone back to school
Eaten fried green tomatoes
Killed and prepared an animal for eating
Dyed your hair
Caused a car accident
Saved someone’s life
2.03.2009
macgyver
i so LOVED watching macgyver when i was younger. i'm pretty sure i've seen every episode at least twice, and i could watch them all again and still love it. so i guess it's no surprise that i married the physician version of him.
the doc does all sorts of crazy things when something is broken. but he never fails to get it working again. the kids always say he can fix anything. there's the time that the window in our camry wouldn't stay up. you would roll it up and it would drop down a bit when you would close the door. of course we worried about not being able to completely lock the car and someone stealing something. so he brought home some sort of cement compound used in the operating room. he took the car door apart and put in the cement and 'rigged' the door window to stay up. then there's the time when the plastic shelf on the door of the fridge cracked from the kids hanging on it. he takes it out to the garage and screws some sort of extra piece to it so that it will attach and not fall off anymore. i'm also remembering the 'prosthetic foot' he attached to the outdoor grill because it lost a wheel in a storm. there are toys and cars and bikes and appliances and houses and many other things that he has 'rigged' so they can continue functioning and we can avoid buying something new. of course there's the trail of medical supplies that is scattered all over the house just sitting, waiting to be used for some sort of repair project. he uses surgical grabbers and towels when he fixes the car. i used surgical gloves the other day to color my hair with (yes i need to get to the beauty supply store). the skin glue and suture are always well-stocked.
yes, i married doc macgyver.
the doc does all sorts of crazy things when something is broken. but he never fails to get it working again. the kids always say he can fix anything. there's the time that the window in our camry wouldn't stay up. you would roll it up and it would drop down a bit when you would close the door. of course we worried about not being able to completely lock the car and someone stealing something. so he brought home some sort of cement compound used in the operating room. he took the car door apart and put in the cement and 'rigged' the door window to stay up. then there's the time when the plastic shelf on the door of the fridge cracked from the kids hanging on it. he takes it out to the garage and screws some sort of extra piece to it so that it will attach and not fall off anymore. i'm also remembering the 'prosthetic foot' he attached to the outdoor grill because it lost a wheel in a storm. there are toys and cars and bikes and appliances and houses and many other things that he has 'rigged' so they can continue functioning and we can avoid buying something new. of course there's the trail of medical supplies that is scattered all over the house just sitting, waiting to be used for some sort of repair project. he uses surgical grabbers and towels when he fixes the car. i used surgical gloves the other day to color my hair with (yes i need to get to the beauty supply store). the skin glue and suture are always well-stocked.
yes, i married doc macgyver.
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