tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85988782024-03-06T23:45:48.363-06:00the viking's progressAt work, I'm a respectable professional. On my blog... slightly less so.Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.comBlogger214125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-8801646129696923742011-09-15T23:17:00.015-05:002011-09-16T01:05:58.916-05:00The Red ButtonI don't post all that frequently (yes yes, durr, that's obvious), so perhaps as a result of that, I try to make 'em count when I do. My rant about arguing with the Billing department at my old job related to a guy we were about to release on a blood thinner (the practice didn't want to pay for INR checks, because the guy was behind on his bill) got linked by the AAPA's Twitter presence, for Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-65717632873649113282011-06-24T10:34:00.002-05:002011-06-24T10:46:04.092-05:00Hi.There may be a few new visitors thanks to my essay over at Life With Levi, about co-sleeping with the toddler. So this is as good a time as any to re-introduce myself and the blog, and maybe explain why it gets updated so infrequently.For several years, this was a story about an Arts-educated guy, finally admitting that while not going to med school as a 22-year-old douche was probably the right Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-51536120289174909822011-04-07T00:44:00.000-05:002011-04-07T00:56:54.486-05:00Fun factsIt's been... A while. I couldn't talk much about my previous job because for a while there, I was just so darn new at it. Then, I couldn't talk about it because I hated it. Fnally, I couldn't talk about it because I signed a document saying I wouldn't say anything bad about them for a year.Year's up - well, more than that, really - and honestly, meh. It was not a good situation, but everybody's Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-56230796217902373812010-10-25T15:46:00.003-05:002011-04-07T01:00:06.476-05:00Yes. Like that.Mark Evanier is a writer, one I've been vaguely aware of for a very long time, but couldn't have told you what the heck he wrote. I assumed he did a year of Marvel's Fantastic Four, or maybe one of those horrible early-90s X-books where everyone had too many cargo pockets on their spandex suits. It turns out he actually was a TV guy as well as a comics guy; he story-edited "Welcome Back Kotter," Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-22051081152703067202010-07-01T21:13:00.003-05:002010-07-01T21:15:43.120-05:00Fear notPosts about "I'm really sorry I haven't posted" are lame. Someday, looking back, it will be a blip for you, too, thinking about the first half of 2010.But I do intend to get around to some medical stuff in the near future. Maybe when the baby's napping, I can make a point to come by and tell some stories.For the few who actually follow this thing, please know that I appreciate you, and still Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-38283255594327285792010-02-21T10:02:00.003-06:002010-02-21T10:07:59.037-06:00Hey waitTwo broken computers, one new baby, no posts for a while. But wait! There's more!It's all turning around now. My TouchBook is back up, after a fun excursion into OS upgrading, and I have a new laptop coming in a week or two. So hang in there. I'll talk about my job and stuff. Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-52632462533362145232010-01-19T16:14:00.005-06:002010-01-19T16:38:23.418-06:00Hi, everyone, what's up?This comment came in earlier:Feb needs to get to blogging...November 2 was a long time ago. I thought there was some resolution to keep this thing more updated???Hey, that was a 2009 resolution, as I remember. (Or maybe a 2008.) Anyway, I have a good excuse:I need to come up with a good Web nickname for this little peanut. She arrived on Christmas Day. (Yes, it's true the blog was already gettingFebrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-63266309391870712482009-11-02T21:46:00.004-06:002009-11-02T21:57:10.136-06:00Feb gets political!So, how long did I get to do my job practicing hospital medicine before I had to argue with someone about finances?Nine days. And what's weird was, I wasn't fighting with the party I assumed I would be.We discharged a guy from the hospital last week, and because he'd had an unexpected event happen (I'm being intentionally vague about the specifics, but it's in that category of "maybe you can Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-73456782569818546722009-10-06T11:20:00.000-05:002009-10-06T11:27:58.271-05:00My entire life, in 2970 characters (with spaces)When I was writing my CASPA essay, the challenge was to shorten it enough to meet the requirements, but include enough detail that the elephant in the room -- how come you're applying to grad school at the age of 35? -- was sufficiently addressed. In a way, that made me one of the lucky ones, because the biggest problem PA school applicants have is identifying the specific goal of their own Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-71550167768848110312009-10-02T22:06:00.007-05:002009-10-06T11:09:28.664-05:00Getting PersonalNext week is PA Week. I won't actually be at work October 6th through 12th, but I'm showing my spirit. As a touch of advocacy, a little public awareness, and also to give back to the pre-PA n00bs (whose ranks I only just left), I'm doing a little somethin-somethin I said I'd do, oh, over three years ago.Some background: there's a discussion out on Teh Boardz about personal statements. This is theFebrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-54004123412946082642009-10-01T22:03:00.001-05:002009-10-02T22:18:19.900-05:00Progress.Hey, what's up?Me? Not much. I'm most of the way through Batman: Arkham Asylum. I'm in 1968 in Beatles: Rock Band, and kind of conflicted about playing more because I know what happens at the end. We've been to some weddings. The wife is six months pregnant. And I get to start my job in a little more than a week.Yes, the long and grueling credentialing process has moved enough that it's safe to Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-23735559372668052342009-09-15T15:59:00.003-05:002009-09-15T16:53:05.885-05:00Medical training vs common senseI'm a patient again. Much like what happened sometime in 2007, a random tiny scratch to the surface of my skin blew up into a cellulitis over my right jaw and temple that has me looking half as round-headed as Charlie Brown. I had a perfectly normal yearly checkup on Friday, and by Sunday night was febrile and wracked with chills. Being relatively smart, I went to Urgent Care Sunday afternoon, soFebrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-78736149701393542632009-09-08T10:49:00.000-05:002009-09-08T10:50:31.660-05:00We're funnier when we're not tryingActual exchange between my wife and me, early in the AM when we both had been asleep...Teslagrl: Hey. Hey, wake up.Feb: Huh?T: You were making weird noises.F: Oh. Sorry...T: Goodnight.F: ...I was dreaming about watching The Disney Channel.T: Well, you were making noises.F: Were they noises that sounded like Nick Jonas?T: If Nick Jonas had a seizure, maybe.Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-43329931596975731092009-09-04T18:10:00.005-05:002009-09-04T18:18:19.345-05:00The Coolest %@$#ing Thing I Have Ever Seen (on YouTube)Imagine you're a 15-year-old kid from Santa Cruz. Now imagine you're a Green Day fan (not so tough for me, as I love me some Green Day). Imagine also that like a lot of 15-year-olds, you spend some time in the basement or garage with your guitar. Okay, now imagine that you're pretty good. So good, in fact, that when you go to the concert at the hockey arena, you don't feel you're bragging when Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-87261282303809820942009-08-25T22:31:00.007-05:002009-08-25T23:56:33.813-05:00RP episode 7: "Crazy Love" (Crazy, weird, radioactive, vaguely insulting love)I'm trying something a little different for this episode. I'm still behind by four, and in the interests of speeding things up, plus making watching the show less of a task, I've adopted a format designed to keep it snappy while still touching on the most important points. It's less of a book this way, although even worse for people who might not have given the show their full attention. This Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-63513552700414735242009-08-09T17:28:00.009-05:002009-08-11T16:29:36.695-05:00RP Episode 6: "If I Were A Rich Man" (...I'd fly to Hollywood, buy the writers lunch, and calmly explain where they go terribly wrong)This is the episode full of dogs. And it's got some dog-like characteristics, in its own right.I've found that while the treatment of Divya's career is overall excellent, in fact better than I could have hoped for when this show started, the show itself doesn't always deliver on what I optimistically like to think of as its promise. Maybe I seem grumpy about it, but from my point of view it's Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-20942451153518163102009-08-09T17:15:00.004-05:002009-08-10T15:07:18.713-05:00Still alive, still awakeWhat's up?You'll have to pardon my spotty posting, yet again. I was out of town, relaxing lakeside with friends. All my paperwork is definitely in, I made sure, so I'm waiting it out to see which comes through first, my temporary permit or my permanent registration (which I am given to understand they will soon be calling a "License" in my state, since it's the same board that approves MDs, with Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-6224446636885349142009-07-25T01:15:00.003-05:002009-07-25T01:21:55.890-05:00It's Not Them, It's MeI am now two episodes of "Royal Pains" behind. I have yet to watch, much less write about, the sixth and seventh episodes aired. Whether this is significant, or how much so, I can't say yet. I am given to understand that Divya's storyline is featured a little more in the next few episodes, so when I get around to it I may be happy about the project.Hey, professional TV critic Alan Sepinwall Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-21304086383806457662009-07-22T13:04:00.004-05:002009-07-22T14:29:32.332-05:00Royal Pains Ep. 5: "No Man Is an Island": My reception is flagging a little, tooI've taken my sweet time writing up this episode, and indeed haven't watched episode 6 yet, for a few reasons. Most importantly, as mentioned in the previous post, I am temporarily living a life of indolence and sloth. A close second was that this episode didn't realy grab me. After the heady thrills of seeing the PA profession portrayed in a pretty damn positive and generally realistic light, Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-43529303973972424272009-07-21T23:46:00.002-05:002009-07-21T23:56:42.382-05:00Awwww. Thanks!Had a very interesting comment the other day. Apparently at least one person in the world thinks I need to talk about myself more.Not to worry. I'm concentrating on this TV show at the moment because it's kind of a cool opportunity to talk about my career - the one that's just getting going for real, now, after a long and intense period of preparation - in a pop-culture-related way. And I have Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-38342327960414106542009-07-15T17:46:00.000-05:002009-07-15T17:49:17.895-05:00Royal Pains Ep 5 nibletThis week, things keep chugging along for HankMed. We got some very MacGuyver medicine, a new batch of PDBs who are deep down very cool people, and one sexually-frustrated hospital administrator.Not a lot that adds to the cause of PA awareness, but some nice Divya moments regardless.A much longer review to follow.Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-33050433910919951102009-07-08T14:33:00.012-05:002009-07-09T16:27:46.217-05:00Royal Pains, ep. 4: "TB or not TB" (but definitely PA-C)It's been a big week in the Febrifuge household. Of several new developments, perhaps the biggest was that the household moved 400-odd miles. So, in terms of my own convenience, USA picked a great week to hold off on airing new episodes of Royal Pains. It took me a while to get to it, but I was rewarded with an overall good episode, featuring several refreshing bursts of Divya being awesome. It Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-30124390729748592142009-07-02T19:59:00.003-05:002009-07-02T20:07:22.438-05:00A week offLooks like the nice people at USA are skipping an episode of Royal Pains for the holiday weekend. This is nice for me, as I just moved 400 miles, and I'm taking off for the holiday to a place where there are no Internets. So watch next week for my write-up of the fourth episode broadcast.Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-78153395472471985932009-06-26T11:41:00.001-05:002009-06-26T11:42:27.809-05:00'Royal Pains' review delayedEpisode 4 aired last night, and ordinarily I'd have watched it by now, but Monday is moving day, so we're up to our necks in boxes and things to do. Early next week should be about right. Take care!Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-23741912291249405532009-06-25T17:46:00.004-05:002009-07-09T16:18:50.530-05:00The Fun BeginsAs I said a while back, I had to take, and pass, my national certifying exam before I could call myself a PA-C (for 'certified,' as though that were not already obvious).The test was Monday. I answered my 360 questions in under four hours; hey, I was on a roll. And this morning I got my results. I'm official.Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0