tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85988782011-10-19T00:25:14.073-05:00At work, I'm a respectable professional. On my blog... slightly less so.Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.comBlogger2141100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-8801646129696923742011-09-15T23:17:00.015-05:002011-09-16T01:05:58.916-05:00

I 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-65717632873649113282011-06-24T10:34:00.002-05:002011-06-24T10:46:04.092-05:00

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-51536120289174909822011-04-07T00:44:00.000-05:002011-04-07T00:56:54.486-05:00

It'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-56230796217902373812010-10-25T15:46:00.003-05:002011-04-07T01:00:06.476-05:00

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-22051081152703067202010-07-01T21:13:00.003-05:002010-07-01T21:15:43.120-05:00

Posts 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-38283255594327285792010-02-21T10:02:00.003-06:002010-02-21T10:07:59.037-06:00

Two 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-52632462533362145232010-01-19T16:14:00.005-06:002010-01-19T16:38:23.418-06:00

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 getting

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-63266309391870712482009-11-02T21:46:00.004-06:002009-11-02T21:57:10.136-06:00

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-73456782569818546722009-10-06T11:20:00.000-05:002009-10-06T11:27:58.271-05:00

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-71550167768848110312009-10-02T22:06:00.007-05:002009-10-06T11:09:28.664-05:00

Next 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 the

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-54004123412946082642009-10-01T22:03:00.001-05:002009-10-02T22:18:19.900-05:00

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-23735559372668052342009-09-15T15:59:00.003-05:002009-09-15T16:53:05.885-05:00

I'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, so

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-78736149701393542632009-09-08T10:49:00.000-05:002009-09-08T10:50:31.660-05:00

Actual 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-43329931596975731092009-09-04T18:10:00.005-05:002009-09-04T18:18:19.345-05:00

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-87261282303809820942009-08-25T22:31:00.007-05:002009-08-25T23:56:33.813-05:00

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.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-63513552700414735242009-08-09T17:28:00.009-05:002009-08-11T16:29:36.695-05:00

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-20942451153518163102009-08-09T17:15:00.004-05:002009-08-10T15:07:18.713-05:00

What'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-6224446636885349142009-07-25T01:15:00.003-05:002009-07-25T01:21:55.890-05:00

I 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-21304086383806457662009-07-22T13:04:00.004-05:002009-07-22T14:29:32.332-05:00

I'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-43529303973972424272009-07-21T23:46:00.002-05:002009-07-21T23:56:42.382-05:00

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-38342327960414106542009-07-15T17:46:00.000-05:002009-07-15T17:49:17.895-05:00

This 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-33050433910919951102009-07-08T14:33:00.012-05:002009-07-09T16:27:46.217-05:00

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-30124390729748592142009-07-02T19:59:00.003-05:002009-07-02T20:07:22.438-05:00

Looks 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

Episode 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-23741912291249405532009-06-25T17:46:00.004-05:002009-07-09T16:18:50.530-05:00

As 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.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-67276062909493079612009-06-19T11:07:00.014-05:002009-06-19T13:02:19.238-05:00

Okay. So, the pilot was enough to get me interested (well, that and the marketing assault on Facebook and Twitter). Last week, there were glimmers of hope in terms of how Divya, the PA character, would be presented. In this, which appears to be the second episode written/ filmed but the third one shown, there were several 'facepalm' moments. Consider it one step back after last week's two steps

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-63292743963081423262009-06-12T11:45:00.005-05:002009-06-19T13:05:15.688-05:00

So, there's a new summer show on USA. It's on after the ridiculously enjoyable Burn Notice (which is itself kind of a mix of The Rockford Files and a Bourne movie), and worth checking out. But what's germane here is that Royal Pains features a PA character, the first on American prime-time TV since Jeannie Boulet on ER way back when. Given the show's premise -- talented Emergency Med doctor's

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-10037556956668212152009-06-10T11:46:00.003-05:002009-07-09T16:21:03.924-05:00

You'll note that for now, "I'm Febrifuge, MS, PA." I can say that much because I got my diploma; the MDs who graduated at that same ceremony are MDs as of now, as well. None of us can actually get a license, hospital privileges, or prescription rights until we pass our respective Board exams.Actually, there's more to it. The MDs have residency spots lined up, which gives them a sort of blanket

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-82310808696036024502009-06-09T11:32:00.002-05:002009-07-22T00:05:35.938-05:00

Hey! I graduated!The law of inverse blogging, or whatever it's called, was in full effect this past couple of months. (Seriously, is there a name for that? The more stuff that happens, the less you feel like/ have time for blogging about it?) Rotation #6 was back home at the very ED where I was a tech, but now I was treating patients and doing the same job as the residents. #7 was an elective in

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-78945177089236460042009-03-14T13:23:00.004-05:002009-07-22T00:06:20.136-05:00

Last week down in the ED, we consulted on a 40-something gentleman who had been smacked with a baseball bat and had a goose-egg so big it looked as though he was working on a second head. His initial CT scan was negative (well, as negative as it can be with a depressed, nondisplaced skull fracture). We wanted another one in the morning, after he chilled out in the step-down unit. He was

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-12086659126555400372009-02-22T18:21:00.004-06:002009-02-22T22:34:41.882-06:00

I know there is probably already a documented "law" that states the more one has going on in one's life, the less time and energy there is to blog about it. If anyone knows of such a thing, please let me know what it's called, so I can chuck it into the memory banks with all the other stuff named after people.Beck's Triad; McBurney's Point; Morrison's Pouch; Murphy's Sign; Colles' Fracture;

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-67026689548975547042009-01-08T13:19:00.003-06:002009-01-08T13:24:17.733-06:00

It's true, there is no such thing as a free lunch.However, having already paid my $23000 for the year's tuition, I cheerfully accepted a box-lunch turkey sammich and Diet Pepsi today, as we students attended all the same lectures as the Emergency Med residents.And although the academic part of the day means I have some down-time before I see sick people from 3 to 11pm, at least I can stop by here

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-52233944723442075552008-12-30T01:11:00.004-06:002008-12-30T01:27:42.910-06:00

I love vacation. Partly because I get to reflect back on the accomplishments of the past seven months (we haven't had a significant break since the wedding), and partly because... well, because it's vacation. I can drink beer and play video games at 3 in the afternoon if I like. And, people: to a certain point, a point which represents admittedly more than Teslagrl might be hoping for but much,

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-15309742461561782702008-11-09T13:27:00.008-06:002008-11-09T13:54:46.835-06:00

Hi.For the past 6 weeks, I was someplace far from home, on my Surgery rotation. I was at a hospital where the PA service is run unlike almost any other, and I had an amazing experience there. I've never worked harder, or been better-educated. I like to learn by doing, and I was in my element out there.Here's an idea of what I mean: 6 weeks ago I could suture, and tie a knot... but I wasn't making

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-58858861479106135712008-09-26T21:19:00.002-05:002008-09-26T21:24:30.510-05:00

Wow, long time, sorry, etc. School does this to a guy.I'm watching the debate live, and here's what's on the laptop:1) This window, natch.2) Facebook, where several of my peeps are being all political and clever.3) FiveThirtyEight.com, so I can watch their liveblog.4) The messageboard community I've been part of for several years, for more live reaction and discussion.And I'm seeing the debate on

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-40183574339409702442008-08-22T20:30:00.001-05:002008-08-22T20:31:20.478-05:00

Every time Teslagrl gets a text message now, I have to ask if it's Sen. Obama. That right there is some pretty great politicking. I think it would be cool if he takes the stage tomorrow in Springfield, and says "hang on a minute, I just have to send a quick text" before starting his speech.

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-17786736602060560002008-07-30T07:52:00.002-05:002008-07-30T08:02:20.283-05:00

I'll have more to say about it later, but I saw Mamma Mia, it was partly-to-mostly awful, and I can't wait to talk all about why. A few key points:1) Watching people act as though they are having fun is not the same thing as having fun. (I have a similar opinion, this one more controversial, about The Blair Witch, as regards things that are frightening.) Watching people screech like 9-year-olds

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-43714984900494959862008-07-25T20:31:00.003-05:002008-07-25T20:41:36.784-05:00

CC: "My blog sucks because I never update it."HPI: 38yo WM with 3+yr hx of intermittent blog activity, ranging from thoughtful to snarky to extreme cheese-sandwichy. Last post about one month ago. FHx: non-contributory.SHx: ETOH 3-5/ wk, no cigarettes, no recreational drugs. Positive for PS2 with recent additions of Nintendo Wii (~2mos) and XBox 360 (~1wk). Works as scut-monkey scum, currently

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-43047497456904333112008-06-27T19:18:00.003-05:002008-06-28T16:52:49.577-05:00

I diagnosed the crap out of it! What happens is, as the student I'm there to collect the info. I've been with an Internal Med doctor with a thriving practice and a ton of patients. Almost all of them have some kind of chronic issue going on, and even when that's not the reason for the visit, it's important to know how things are going. So I talk a lot about diabetes, and heart disease, and

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-21924404166695376632008-06-07T22:03:00.003-05:002008-06-07T22:17:24.976-05:00

Sorry I've been so quiet. A lot has happened since the last post, but I've been so wiped out as a result of the activity that I've been less able to write about it. Here's something that crossed my mind recently... My 35th birthday, I seem to recall, was spent either packing, or driving out east to start my post-bacc program. My girlfriend (now wife) made the trip with me, but I dropped her at

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-71486094353480310482008-05-16T10:23:00.002-05:002008-05-16T10:29:26.959-05:00

...and it feels wonderful. Many of you I'll see this weekend, for the wedding. Others I'll see later on, after we're back from a week in Vegas, baby!One anticipated highlight: finding a cinema near the Strip, so we can see the new Indiana Jones. See ya post-matrimony, everybody.

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-4417935052974216622008-05-07T18:13:00.002-05:002008-05-07T18:27:42.573-05:00

Hey marathoners and people who run, like, 10K's, Do the last few yards make you feel like you want to finish because you're happy and proud to have made it this far? Or is it more that you want to finish because if the aggravation kills you dead on the spot, while that would be a blessed relief it would also mean you won't have the pleasure of saying "I'm never doing THAT again"?Oh, there's good

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-87464014854137302042008-04-15T22:34:00.000-05:002008-04-15T22:23:35.757-05:00

I've had a couple of very nice e-mails, in response to the last post. People want to know when I'll be in town, or what I'm doing when, or generally the whole dealio with the clinical year thing. So here's the two scoops, my raisin brahs:As of the end of May, after the wedding and once we've returned from Las Vegas, I start up the second year of my two-year program. Basically, now that I've sat

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-42219210615757047292008-04-09T20:47:00.002-05:002008-04-09T20:52:24.992-05:00

I'm getting married, in less than 40 days. I have about 35 days of school left, and that means I'll be halfway done with the official part of my training. It also means I'll be ENTIRELY done with the "sitting in a classroom, taking notes" part of my schooling. Mostly, this scares the crap out of me. Now and then, however, I get a little glimmer of how things are going to work in the next year.

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-14660229294451188452008-03-24T20:31:00.003-05:002008-03-24T20:33:11.415-05:00

Hey, it's getting toward the end of my classroom phase -- and that means it's that much plus a few days until my wedding. Seems like as good a time as any to tinker with the settings. And that old customized teal-and-orange stripe was looking old n' busted.Um, yes, I am also studying for a test. Why do you ask?

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-38881526444466259242008-03-19T19:59:00.002-05:002008-08-16T20:18:08.492-05:00

Wish me luck. The last of the standardized patient training deals is coming up for me.You'll recall that just a month or so ago, I learned the correct way to perform a breast exam. The right kind and amount of pressure; the right technique to make sure you don't leave anything out, so I'd feel a suspicious lump, but I wouldn't take forever either.Then I learned how to work the male exam; the

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-10224032330091563242008-03-15T08:52:00.004-05:002008-08-16T20:20:27.389-05:00

There is a notorious phenomenon that occurs in people who are in medical training; as you learn more and more about the various things that can go haywire with the human body, you gradually come to believe that an implausible number of them are happening to you. I believe that some of the reason my school's student-health clinic is staffed with semi-retired old docs is that they've seen and done

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-68045962741077551032008-03-01T20:25:00.004-06:002008-03-01T20:42:32.279-06:00

This was harder than I thought. Admittedly, it's also something of a spelling (and typing) test. 62But hey, naming a new country once every five seconds for five minutes solid isn't so bad, right? Give it a shot; how many did you come up with?

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-18002799410220414402008-03-01T13:07:00.002-06:002008-03-01T13:11:13.615-06:00

Here's pretty much the central dilemma for any health-sciences student who has a blog, and tries to tell interesting stories: how much can you say, without messing up the educational experience for yourself, your classmates, or your patients?Anyway, wait for a respectable period of time to pass -- I'll think of ways to change around the identifying details, and then I'll be able to talk about my

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-83958879061340519742008-02-24T23:10:00.003-06:002008-02-24T23:14:50.741-06:00

So soon, I'll be back to the grind. I passed a course that I might not have, and made some rather huge changes to my habits... my outlook... my inner world, really. More on that later, when I'm not so Oscar-drunk.I'm reading some excellent books; I'm studying some interesting stuff; I have weird hours this term. I hope to be here more often.

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-67893444463910242332008-02-09T22:27:00.000-06:002008-02-09T22:42:58.086-06:00

This is amusing... to me, anyway. I have this lame little blog, about my career change and now my medical education, right? About how I'm trying to retain a shred of the geeky, funny personality that got me this far in life, while also becoming a responsible, reasonably knowledgeable person. Okay, so that's the back-story. Now, anyone with a blog that lasts a while will eventually amass enough

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-71394491951298303882008-01-25T00:16:00.000-06:002008-01-25T00:23:46.271-06:00

I'm sleepy. I need to knock this off and get to bed. But I just wrote something I really like, in the comments section for a very sweet, sad, lovely post over at Jon's blog. Which you should read, because it's excellent, as indeed is Jon. Because I lack for time (and therefore worthwhile content), and have almost no shame, I'm putting it here as well. Our theme is nostalgia, especially for

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-40644232737366544032008-01-08T19:07:00.000-06:002008-01-08T19:11:13.079-06:00

...right. Sorry.Maybe I'll talk more later about my interesting new study plan thing. Suffice to say, when you actually plot out the hours on a chart, there are not that many of them available for anything, fun or otherwise. So there you go.But writing = good, and writing = fun, so I'll try to make sure I shovel the walk to this blog before it gets too deep.How was your holidays?

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-9498849757628321542007-12-19T12:14:00.000-06:002007-12-19T13:16:30.968-06:00

Today's post comes to us courtesy of the Reader Mailbag, where a sharp and doubtless lovely person named Barb writes:OK, so I've got a question for you.Is there a "proper" form of address for a PA? or is it an individual preference?I ask because at my husband's neurologist's office the ratio of time spent with the PA to time spent with the doctor is running roughly 25 to 1 in the PA's favor.

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-10578052923534113502007-12-13T21:04:00.000-06:002007-12-13T21:18:08.776-06:00

Here's me, in October of last year: "...my pal, future Golden Globe-winning screenwriter (and eventual Hollywood Squares center square) Diablo Cody..."Here's today's news: "Besides Cody's screenplay nomination, "Juno" was nominated for best comedy or musical. Star Ellen Page, who portrays a precocious 16-year-old who decides to give up her baby to a yuppie couple, was nominated for best actress

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-88273779940167183142007-12-10T09:28:00.000-06:002007-12-10T11:16:31.266-06:00

I'm not sure if you're aware of the state of the medical Blogosphere, but in the past year or so, there has been a spate of closures of medical-type blogs. To be sure, there are some shining examples of ways in which working health-care types can enlighten, opine, and entertain. Many are a great read, some are intellectually and/or politically challenging -- but I guess it's an endeavor that is

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-38752483108251273332007-12-02T19:44:00.000-06:002007-12-02T18:33:08.828-06:00

So, we have a new class this term. It's called "Clinical Decision-making." And it is AWESOME. I am practicing (and hopefully, perfecting) the art of differential diagnosis. You know how on House, about 30 to 60% of any episode is sitting around and thinking about "what it might be?" That's what this class is. Naturally, I frickin' LOVE IT. (And yes, I have already whispered "it's lupus!" to the

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-17796066207032235522007-11-27T19:04:00.000-06:002007-11-27T20:32:52.188-06:00

Today in a lecture, we talked about nosocomial infections (infections that people get from BEING in the hospital, as opposed to ones they come in with). There was a PowerPoint slide about a specific factor that accounts for a big proportion of these infections: people with indwelling urinary catheters account for like 80% of all cases.I raised my hand and asked the lecturer, an MD who specializes

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-66487015439773658022007-11-22T10:42:00.000-06:002007-11-22T10:53:06.682-06:00

Happy Turkey Day, random Intarweb people!This will be only the second Thanksgiving since I've had the opportunity that I will not be enjoying the thoroughly amazing meal at my dad and stepmom's. I'm really happy to come from a gigantic, loud, slightly nutty family, and I'll miss them. But that's what it's like at the moment -- I need to make strategic decisions about how I saw everyone a month or

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-63727119801567814502007-11-16T10:02:00.000-06:002007-11-16T10:04:17.367-06:00

When the first lecturer of the day starts by asking, "who has Tylenol?", and in response to a sea of quizzical looks, he continues, "...because I guarantee you'll have a headache at the end of this."Um... yay?

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-81729779817174992332007-11-13T22:01:00.000-06:002007-11-14T22:41:56.264-06:00

There's a famous story about old Hollywood. It's probably not true, but it illustrates a point, it's too good not to quote, and it probably has a grain of truth. According to the story, Irving Thalberg, the uber-powerful producer, saw The Jazz Singer in 1933 (...so, not the Neil Diamond one...) and sniffed that sound in movies was going to be a passing fad. The point being, some things never

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-23058599277890593672007-10-31T19:15:00.000-05:002007-11-13T19:46:26.585-06:00

Monday: finished the last test for this term in my 'General Med' class; this means I'm 1/3 of the way through the course (it lasts my whole classroom year). This happens to have been a test on the endocrine system. [ shamelessly hotlinked image of adrenal glands ]Tuesday: took a test in Statistics. [ shamelessly hotlinked image of a scatter-plot graph ] Given my thoroughly awesome Stats class in

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-62525325701603502372007-10-26T10:14:00.000-05:002007-10-26T10:16:09.740-05:00

Finals Week is coming. Prepare for stressy weirdness. It was a good term though; I'll do a recap when I have a minute to breathe.

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-47192027440692517152007-10-22T20:04:00.000-05:002007-10-22T20:07:03.035-05:00

Check this out: http://www.lipsum.com/Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Praesent blandit. Nam volutpat rutrum nulla. Mauris accumsan. Duis posuere. Proin semper est. Etiam rhoncus purus non ipsum. Cras sapien quam, imperdiet luctus, volutpat et, placerat vitae, lectus. Can you spot the content? Vestibulum non enim. Fusce tortor. Nullam venenatis vestibulum arcu. This is

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-70112389941538563352007-10-21T11:52:00.001-05:002008-02-09T22:27:20.920-06:00

I'm probably nuts, but to me, that the voice in the new Chevron commercials, the one talking about the power of geothermal energy and how cool it is that an oil company can be "part of the solution," sounds a lot like the voice of REM frontman Michael Stipe. I can't find anything on the Web about it, and that makes me feel like the person in the first 15 minutes of an old monster movie. There's

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-60543022693588456252007-10-17T19:32:00.000-05:002007-10-17T19:47:05.605-05:00

I read a really cool blog in which a practicing MD reviews episodes of House and evaluates not only the soap opera aspects but also the medicine, giving letter-grade scores in several categories. It's a ton of fun; Scott (the blogger) and I are both totally over the "no way would these people be doing all these tests themselves" stage, so that pleases me. And since he actually knows what he's

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-77940551215852789642007-10-08T23:26:00.001-05:002007-10-09T22:57:13.711-05:00

What happens when a pair of crazy geniuses remix the entirety of Sgt. Pepper's with bits of other Beatles songs, plus Stones, Gary Glitter, Bowie, the Selecter, and god knows what else?Brilliance, that's what. ccc and Ill Chemist have done this, for some reason. It's called Cracked Pepper. And it's very very cool. I love living in the 21st century.I'm linking "Hawaii 64," a mix of 'When I'm 64'

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-90735884088155991442007-10-03T23:38:00.000-05:002007-10-03T23:43:03.507-05:00

Someone from my class is fond of saying,"I know, right?"I don't know why, exactly, but with the right timing, this just slays me. It's funny, without calling undue attention. It skates over the surface without impeding the rhythm of the humor. It's verbiage that draws the others into the joke, while at the same time reflecting what was just said in a distorted mirror. But aside from

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-79840809941238246232007-10-01T19:08:00.000-05:002007-10-01T19:18:39.107-05:00

This is fun: I'm kicking ass in my fantasy football league this year.Well, I'm not winning or anything, but this turns out to be the year my faith in Randy Moss pays off. The points are racking up, I'm presently 4th of 14, and I'm on the way to the top.In school news, I'm continuing to pass my tests. Later this week, I'll suit up in the little white coat and start talking to real patients for

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-56294266611622139672007-09-23T15:11:00.001-05:002007-09-23T22:08:44.448-05:00

Yeah, I'm fine. Sure, school is busy, but I've survived our first couple of "weeks in which you will have several tests, in various classes." I'm falling into something like a groove.And within a short drive, there are a few places that have really good pancakes. This, above and beyond the most excellent little greasy-spoon diner a couple of blocks away. So really, it's a matter of being busy

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-24495381338488659862007-09-11T08:41:00.000-05:002007-09-13T21:27:19.872-05:00

It's time once again for me to fluff the cushions on which I sit, here in the front section of the Juno bandwagon. (It's not that I'm special, it's that I got on early.)With the regularity of tornado-siren tests, I've been nattering from time to time about my friend's movie -- about how awesome it is, about how nice it is that someone talented and deserving gets some of that sweet Hollywood money

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-64270151659735777942007-09-06T20:15:00.000-05:002007-09-06T23:41:36.466-05:00

Trash was kind enough to point out that grad school grades don't matter. And she's even more right than she knows, since for all intents and purposes, med school is a lot like culinary school. When I'm done, I study for (and take, and pass) a certification exam, and then I'm on a level field with everyone else. Nobody cares what my grades were -- nobody even cares about my GPA, which puts me in

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-48696868690459876262007-09-04T21:01:00.000-05:002007-10-04T22:42:26.180-05:00

I am no champion of mediocrity. As a passionate fan of both the Faust mythos and the Kit Marlowe conspiracy theory, I think there's absolute value in the striving, the tireless windmill-tilting, the reach exceeding the grasp. I try, in as many little ways as possible, to make a habit of excellence. And yet, if I take pride in anything as I go about this nutty adventure among the academic elite,

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-84626050492338343032007-09-02T20:29:00.000-05:002007-09-02T20:36:09.646-05:00

Right now, I'm studying and I'm listening to music. I'm nominating Ryan Adams as my personal soundtrack of the moment...Everybody's cool, playing rock n' rollEverybody's cool, playing rock n' rollI don't feel cool, feel cool at allI don't feel cool, feel cool at allIt was really fun when I was working the ER Tech job, thinking about how cool the future would be. All I needed to do was to learn...

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-18883646779358178642007-08-24T16:54:00.001-05:002007-09-02T20:37:09.333-05:00

I love my car, but this is silly. I'm engaged and live with my fiancee now, so Teslagrl's car is an option most of the time. And I commute by train. I literally have started my car twice in the last week, to move it off the "street cleaning today" side of the street... and that's just because it was street-cleaning week.One sure way to know I don't really need it is that since it went all freaky

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-77140881042801299962007-08-21T21:38:00.000-05:002007-08-21T21:57:37.536-05:00

Here's what I have going on in the Fall term:General Medicine & Infectious Disease-- a huge, year-long course that covers... kind of everything. Right now it's Neurology... plus infectious disease. Ask me about the many different classes of antibiotics! (On second thought, don't. Not yet.)Pharmacology-- merely a two-quarter-long course. One more arena in which I can demonstrate a lack of

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-69242595248300542122007-08-19T13:20:00.001-05:002007-08-19T13:27:54.839-05:00

Sigh...95% And meanwhile...Yes, I'm being blog-lazy by reprinting stuff, but it's all about efficiency these days.

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-35905416621581695532007-08-07T21:44:00.001-05:002007-08-07T21:44:49.390-05:00

The sorting hat says that I belong in Gryffindor! Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those with brave deeds to their name." Students of Gryffindor are typically brave, daring, and chivalrous. Famous members include Harry, Ron, Hermione, Albus Dumbledore (head of Hogwarts), and Minerva McGonagall (head of Gryffindor). Take the most scientific

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-29423355032109370702007-07-23T22:12:00.000-05:002007-07-23T22:39:59.821-05:00

No spoilers here. I will not discuss the book yet.I read it in a little under 36 hours, taking frequent brief breaks to eat, sleep, pee, and do homework. (Weird, how the work is done so much more efficiently when it's done as a break from something fun I get to return to. I might re-read the whole damn series now.)I just want to point out that for the last eight weeks, I've been learning about

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-34861201104245771762007-07-18T17:38:00.000-05:002007-07-18T19:08:46.900-05:00

"Thanks, [Feb], for showing me your penis!"It's pelvis and perineum week. My friends have a female cadaver, so they needed to check out what in the medical world we call 'the dude parts.' And my guy has some fine anatomy going on. We've spent enough time in this class now, about ten weeks or so, that we've really started taking ownership of our learning experience. That's reflected in the way we

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-17645824723729104092007-07-01T21:40:00.000-05:002007-09-04T21:57:16.619-05:00

Here's a diverting little hypothetical, courtesy of one of the messageboards I frequent:Assume you have been offered your dream job (that is, the dream version of your job, or else the job you really want to do). The catch is, you need to choose from only two possible job sites. One is in Gotham City, and the other is in Metropolis. Which would you choose, and why?Obviously, there are some stark

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-79935271625709652912007-06-26T20:30:00.000-05:002007-06-26T20:34:45.111-05:00

a) My own personal theory about what happens at the end of the Harry Potter saga?orb) How much I love Keith Olbermann?No? Really? Hmm.Well, it's a good thing I can do both at once, because I need to be efficient these days... and also, it just so happens he has the exact same theory.Spoilers, sort of, but only if Olbermann and I are right. Which we both think we are.

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-89680071330424748942007-06-14T20:08:00.000-05:002007-06-16T10:52:40.986-05:00

...lately.Sorry about the radio silence. I'm planning to dedicate some time soon for a post about my new room-temperature friend; I think you'll like him. He's got a good heart, and we try not to let it dry out. He's not quite all there anymore, if you get my drift, but it's okay because we're keeping track of all the bits we take out.I also wanted to put in some words on the subject of medical

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-90101596466303683672007-06-03T22:24:00.000-05:002007-06-04T10:32:26.220-05:00

People, listen up. You need to go see this movie. Seriously. (Minneapolis people: it's at the Uptown this very week.)We were going to see Knocked Up (and we will, sooner or later). But it's my birthday, and dinner happened to be finished at an inconvenient point between showtimes for the big Hollywood comedy... so I used my Birthday Power™ to go see Once. I shit you not: I haven't seen a better

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-29222115527107826362007-06-01T17:47:00.000-05:002007-06-01T17:57:10.287-05:00

Today we cut our cadaver's heart out of his thoracic cavity. It was bitchin'.My hands. Human heart. Whoa.There's a lot to talk about, kids, and maybe this weekend I'll have some time. It'll require some thought to properly frame the thoughts and emotions that I've been experiencing in the first few days of anatomy lab.One thing's for sure, though: today's events definitely tugged on someboody's

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-3835550678367007772007-05-24T23:58:00.001-05:002007-05-25T00:17:10.543-05:00

Oh yeah... so that's why I don't really watch. I saw the beginning, with the Minneapolis auditions and the horrid singers, and I saw the final few weeks. I'm happy for Jordin, inasmuch as she has genuine talent and charisma, plus now a car and a record contract and I think the winner gets some money or something. But it's sad to think she'll be another serf toiling in the soul-crushing fields

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-45664823625198323782007-05-23T00:43:00.000-05:002007-05-23T01:10:59.006-05:00

So, I am all excited to start school. Except for the first day. Day after tomorrow.I'm in my little study-nook area, where untold amazing things will start to pour into my noggin soon. It's late, but I power-napped today... just because I could. So it's me, a cup o' tea, and Teslagrl's younger and weirder cat, who is apparently diggin' the wood floor because she's rubbing her back on it. So this

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-64176222126871198572007-05-18T12:33:00.001-05:002007-05-18T12:38:37.443-05:00

I live in Evanston now. It's pretty stellar.There will be a whole lot more about all this. The place is a disaster at the moment; right now we have boxes for art, boxes for about half the furniture, and because Future Wife started working in the Chicago office today and the cats are sleeping, I have boxes for company.And of course you, my sweet, sweet Internet.But this is my last few days off --

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-48659076553670392462007-05-10T22:43:00.000-05:002007-05-23T00:36:38.244-05:00

Back in the day, circa 1994, somehow boxer briefs became a subject of great interest in my home. This was several homes ago -- way, way back when I was a married guy (or, as I prefer to think of it now, practicing for the day I would eventually be married for real). We were playing landlords to a good friend of the ex, who had become my bud as well. He lived in the guest room, kind of like a

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-25478599279756059402007-04-30T15:18:00.000-05:002007-04-30T15:27:07.951-05:00

Yeah, I've been quiet. Stuff happens when you're cramming three weeks' worth of class into two weeks, working eleven out of fourteen days, and moving to Chicago. Just wait; a month from now, I'll be talking about being in school, and this whole bloggity-blog thing should get much more entertaining. The other day, I got home from work and had someplace to be right away, so I changed into jeans and

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-78134535073530756762007-04-12T11:36:00.000-05:002007-05-23T00:39:48.308-05:00

There's been this silver SUV parked in the apartment building's lot lately. The manager had told me there were painters coming and going for a while, but that was over with weeks ago. Yet the thing kept coming back like a fuel-inefficient bad penny. There's a bulletin board inside the building where the manager tacked a note stating that the MPD would be on the lookout for any cars parked in the

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-90261084928525913372007-04-02T15:07:00.000-05:002007-04-02T15:30:11.474-05:00

I just completed my financial aid application stuff for PA school. I also recently took stock of everything I've spent so far in my college career. Wow. That's a lot of double cheeseburgers, people.Let me put it this way... what I spent on my original undergrad degree -- which covers the roll of fin-aid derived quarters that fueled an all-day "Rampage" marathon at the junior college, all the way

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-51428023603312658292007-03-29T14:10:00.000-05:002007-03-29T14:26:49.797-05:00

I really like the month of March. It's the month when things turn around. Sure, there's mud, the clouds roll in, and last fall's trash gets rediscovered, but March is about making the transition from potential to actual. So, yeah, thematically, I'm saying.March is also the title of Michael Penn's first album. It's uneven as hell, and taken individually, maybe 1/3 of the tracks are skip-worthy. As

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-88288598033250191092007-03-25T21:24:00.001-05:002007-03-25T22:03:32.355-05:00

1. Because it Does, That's WhyAs an add-on to the rant about grammar and troublesome job titles, I should have mentioned that at the end of my academic tour of duty out East last year, I arranged a visit to a PA program in one of those New Englandy states. It was a nice, if twisty and time-consuming, drive from the Farmhouse, and the town was small but cool. A minor-league baseball team plays

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-3129679636792200072007-03-19T15:25:00.000-05:002007-05-23T00:39:39.320-05:00

I'll continue my budding rant about excellence vs. mediocrity, which is designed to turn into one about politics, soon. For now, I'm just going to whine about this idea of my career path being "Physician's Assistant."The focus of my white-hot burning rage isn't the people who innocently use the wrong term. It's not really even the lack of careful thought that would reveal to any sane and

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-18699932098116004732007-03-16T05:11:00.000-05:002007-03-16T05:30:24.450-05:00

I'm not sure I like my last couple of posts. But hang in there with me; I'm attempting to build to a larger point, one that needs a little stumbling room, to get where it's supposed to go. And that point is not meant to be cheese-sandwich-y and self-absorbed, nor grandiose and mighty. It's the gremlin of blogging, is the thing. It seems like the choices often come down to talking about the world

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-12532742021691415262007-03-15T15:39:00.000-05:002007-03-16T05:47:18.977-05:00

I just got back from the laundry room in my building, where I moved two loads of wash into the two dryers. There's a sign on the wall there, reading "Be Prompt and Courteous," and then some language about getting your crap out of other people's way and not making them wait for the machines to be free. I don't know exactly what it says because the phrase "Prompt and Courteous" reminds me of a

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-39228897867447788552007-03-14T21:13:00.000-05:002007-03-15T11:59:43.702-05:00

The other day, I was working in the critical care/ trauma room -- the part of the department where the TV-like stuff happens. I did some more CPR this week, actually (and I'd like to thank another patient for not dying in our care). This time was trickier, because this person started out with Pulseless Electrical Activity (Paramedics say PEA stands for "push Epi, Asshole!") which turned to atrial

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-34976436299596179262007-03-03T20:45:00.000-06:002007-03-03T21:56:59.738-06:00

1. A Tip o' the HatA couple of visits ago, I left my Team Ortho baseball cap behind at the M. Giant household. I got it a little less than two years ago, when I shadowed an ortho surgeon friend of mine. Before the scrubbing-in part of the day was the setting-down-my-stuff part of the day, so we started in the doctors' tiny offices. One of my friend's office-mates is the guy who is in charge of

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598878.post-68512672435919017292007-02-27T21:19:00.000-06:002007-02-27T22:36:30.799-06:00

"Engaged."(This is how geeks announce they're going to get hitched. And yes, we're geeks.)It's true. Apologies to anyone who should have had a phone call or an email of their very own, and instead is seeing this here, but the word must get out. After roughly three years together, including that year where I lived out east and she stayed here, and it was kind of "meh" in some ways, Teslagrl and I

Febrifugehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11390183224653926238noreply@blogger.com4