Random thoughts about musicals

I love musicals. Love. Them. Listened to many while driving this weekend to a conference.

Some nominations for various categories:

Best intro: Phantom of the Opera, Andrew Lloyd Webber. The overture playing as the chandelier rises...

Best song, lyrics: You Got to Be Carefully Taught from South Pacific. A primer on how hatred arises.

Least Appreciated: Chess, Tim Rice and the dudes from ABBA. Outdated plot, but interesting musically. Also extremely pessimistic.

Best misintepretation of a song from a Musical: Whitney and Cissy Houston "I Know Him So Well" from Chess. It's obvious that they do not know the source.

Favorite Character: Judas from Jesus Christ Superstar. Interesting character, propels plot, some cool songs. I usually sing this character when I listen to JCS.

Best song, music: All I Ask of You from Phantom. Lush and romantic (my style) and very hummable.

Favorite memory: Taking my DD to her first one...she was great! And now I have someone who loves them as much as I do (she goes to sleep listening to Phantom).

Ponderings

As an OB, we are involved in the single most intimate and amazing experience most people have - childbirth. There is a huge amount of trust placed in us - we are allowed to see and touch areas most people aren't. I am the first person to reach out and touch a new person as the baby is pushed towards extrauterine existence. I guide the shoulders out and in the same movement swing the baby onto Mom's belly - just inches from where he resided hours earlier.

And as a doc in a small town, we frequently care for the whole family. Sisters who are pregnant at the same time. New cousins. We hysterectomize the soon-to-be grandmother during her child's pregnancy (in time to allow her to help with the newborn). A new patient will come in and say "You delivered so-and-so's baby. She's my cousin/sister/friend/neighbor." It's an interconnecting web of humanity and I am merely one strand.

And I've been here in town long enough to start doing repeaters. That is the true mark of trust - letting you be there again. Allowing you to enter a sacred time again. Trusting in your ability to do a c-section - again.

This is why I still do what I do, despite whining about call, despite the hours, despite the crazy patients. Because there is still lots of beautiful things about being an OB.

Resolution

That I will never again blog about how good of an OR week I'm having, since that immediately pisses off the OR Gods.


Lots of swearing was done in the OR yesterday.

ETA: I must have really pissed off the OR Gods, as emergent surgeries are raining down upon me.