Bad equation

Nauseated doctor + ((obese patient^hygiene issues)*needs a pelvic exam) = not a pretty sight.

Vacation thoughts

Things important to KIDS on vacation:
1. Hotel swimming pool
2. Hotel elevator
3. Hotel ice machine

Things important to PARENTS on vacation:
1. Local museums
2. Historical sites
3. Does the restaurant serve alcohol? (we WERE in Utah...)


Other thoughts:
The hotel bar closed at 11 pm. Last call was 10:45. :(

Damn, Utah has a lot of mountains. Here in flyover country, we're not used to drastic elevation changes! Walking SLC's zoo was a challenge - up and down and up and down... It was truly a beautiful state, even when we took a wrong turn and went down a mountain road riding the brakes as hard as we could.

The Great Salt Lake is fricken' HUGE!

Great kid quotes:
Upon hearing that the breakfast buffet was served between 6 and 9; DD said "Great cuz I'm 7!" I started crying, I was laughing so hard at that one.

Amazing article

Go here for a great link to what death and dying can mean.

As someone who has been the primary caretaker in a home hospice situation (for my father), I find these pictures beautiful and amazing.

Death is not the enemy, it is the natural consequence of living.

The OR

There is very little that compares to a good OR day. The one where every patient is thin, all of the instruments work without needing to jigger this-n-that, the anatomy is normal, and the patient has a virgin belly. You have your CD player going, you are running on time, and the conversation between the nurses, CRNA, assist, and me are teasing in nature. It is honestly a hell of a lot of fun, although it can be physically draining. And if everything goes right, the patient improves quickly post-operatively and feels much better. And THAT'S why we love to operate.

The above paragraph is a dream...most patients are fluffy (to be polite), the damn bovie machine is acting up again, we're hours behind schedule, I forgot my CDs, and conversation consists of me and the assist swearing because of distorted anatomy and our legs/back/shoulders ache. It's still a lot of fun, even when I'm bitching and moaning about why I hate vaginal surgery.

My OR day this week was more like the second day...it beat me up! But I'm still operating tomorrow...

Ruminations

I was reading the internet this weekend while waiting for a delivery. And I can't link to it, because I can't remember how I got to the article (love clicking through links!), but there was an op-ed piece on Clinton and female support. The gist of the piece was that women should vote for her because she is a woman.


ARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I am a woman. I even think of myself as a feminist. But I refuse to vote for someone JUST BECAUSE we share the same gender. Hell, feminism to me means that I DON'T take into account gender to make decisions. I don't care if a candidate for POTUS has a vagina or a penis. I don't care what color of skin s/he may have. I just care that I agree with their positions more than the other candidates.

You know, 40+ years ago, MLK dreamed a dream for his kids. I want my kids also to be judged for the depth of their character, not their external characteristics. I have a daughter and a son. And I hope that in the future, they are judged by their work.

Sadly, that day is not here yet. My daughter is growing up in a world that still is immersed in a double standard. It is better than in my grandmother's day. Hopefully it will be better someday. I will say, I am happy that I am seeing a time where serious candidates for POTUS reflect a wide variety of backgrounds, including the fact that Obama is the son of an immigrant from Kenya.

And for those who think all is hunky-dory, there's still underlying attitudes that women can't do things. I just have to think about the attending who told me to my face when I was a resident that women don't belong in operating rooms.

E&R's Mom

Wow

Here's a reply to the hatred spewing idiot. Who says teens are apathetic? Good job, young man.

Why kids rock

1. I can watch Tom and Jerry without feeling guilty.
2. Snowball fights!
3. I get to reread the cool books from when I was a kid (we're working on a Wrinkle in Time right now...)
4. They give me an excuse to run through the sprinklers in the summer.
5. They give the best hugs and kisses.
6. They are an amazing amalgram of me and DH.