"long live 'forever friends'"

With my recent trip home to Missouri a few weeks back and the start of December - which brings along with it a few important birthdays! - just hours away I've been doing a little reminiscing. Add in the Mizzou game yesterday and the current holiday season and I've got Family Burrell on the mind!

Polly is my oldest college/med school friend. We were assigned the same freshman docent group back in the fall of 1996 (!) and she's been one of the most important people in my life since then. When I think of that first year, I think of going down to the 3rd floor of our dorm to her room most afternoons to watch Rosie O'Donnell. I think of going skiing with her in Weston. I think about cramming for anatomy tests and our first Snow Ball. And mostly I think about how lucky I was to find another person so much like me in a sea of fellow students that were so, so different.

Subsequent years brought CSM and academic trials. Lots of trips (Chicago and Boston top out my favorites!) and some really great parties/celebrations! Our circle of friends changed a bit from the beginning to the end. But she was the one constant through my time in Kansas City.

It didn't take long after we first became friends to become more. To become family. She shared her Eli (I still remember the first time we met!), her parents, her sister. She shared her family. And I shared mine. She and Eli were amongst the first to come visit me when I moved down to Texas. And they're one of the reasons I came really, really close to moving back to Missouri this past year. I don't get to see them nearly as much as I want to - life just seems to get in the way. But just like the constant, the rock, she was to me during med school I know she - along with her family - will always be an integral part of my life.

It just seemed like a good time to say, thanks guys.

Grace, Eli, Polly, and Lilly

yep. bitter's back.

Despite a valiant rally effort in the third quarter by Josie-the-super-dog, the Tigers fell to the Jayhawks 40-37. We've still got the Big 12 Championship game next weekend. But. Wow. This one hurt. Just wait. Somehow KU will end up invited to the National Championship after their win. Punks.

belize it or not

The aforementioned update, in reverse chrono - for kicks!

Turkey Day.
My all time fav holiday. This year I spent it cheering on the Boys in Texas Stadium. A bittersweet moment because, while the Cowboys actually looked like the Cowboys and came up with a blowout, it's most likely my last game at TS. But, *shrug*, still a good time:) Post game: Autumn, Gigi, and I convened back at my house for a little grub fest. Sigh. So, so good. And as you can plainly see in the post below, oh-so-many leftovers! Added holiday bonus? I'm dog sitting Sarah's Josie while she's back home in the 'Burg. Loving it!

Kickball.
Back to the field after a prolonged absence. Seems like the world, or the faiths, or something has been against me as of late and kept me from participating. Or maybe it was just my work schedule:) Regardless, back to the field. And it was fun. Seriously. Everybody (read:boys) had mellowed out a bit while I was gone and we just all had a good time. And kicked a little kickball ass while we were at it! Ok, ok. So VERY, VERY little ass but still . . . :)

Ethical Dilemma.
Had to make a call about a patient. Go one way and make the right legal decision. Another way and the right moral decision was made. Or, at least, that's how I saw it. Morality won out. And I'm pretty much at peace about it now. I know that I made the right decision for the patient. Doesn't mean I didn't feel like I was gonna vomit for about an hour and a half!

Missouri.
Spent my week off after nights in the Show Me State. Met up with Nathan in KC. Remember the drunken purchase of Celine Dion concert tickets last summer? Well the moment had finally arrived! She exclaimed with wonder and just a hint of sarcasm. Unfortunately Celine had a head cold and cancelled on us. Which reminds me. If any one is in the market for a few seats to see Miss Dion in the new year I can hook you up! Nate and I still managed to have a good time and thankfully no additional drunken purchases were made in the making of the evening:) Spent the rest of my time at home in the company of my delightful nieces. Had a day with each of 'em and loved every minute of it. Jackie, Polly, and Leticia: I'm so, so sorry I didn't get a chance to come see any of you. There just never seems to be enough time when I'm home to do everything I want or need to do:(

Passport Stamps.
Made final plans - and final payment! - for upcoming trip to Belize. You will so be hearing more about that:)

Well. That about takes care of it I think. Your turn!

changing my stripes

a full, and thus happy, refrigerator:)

i sang to an ipod because I am AWESOME!

Another mondo update is forthcoming. But for now - can I just say? - I freaking LOVE this time of year. Thanksgiving. Beautiful fall weather. Pumpkins that give birth to pumpkin pies. Really, really good stuff.

a watched clock and all that

It's been a long night on-call. All I want is a cold piece of pizza and my bed. Too much to ask? Come on 7am. Come the hell on.

racing the rat

It's been a super weird week at work. The honeymoon period is most definitely over.

I've been doing "float" this week. Basically, I show up at 1pm and man the pre-op clinic for a few hours and then take ER call until 8pm. Historically, calls for our group have been a complete beat-down. So just prior to my start date they started the concept of a float person to ease the on-call responsibilities. The floater takes all calls from the ER and the on-call person does cross-cover and consults. This is my first time as the float but I've been on-call many a time and the division of responsibilities seems to work pretty well.

Some back ground: I have only asked my float person for assistance one time when I was on-call. And I only did so because my secretary texted me and told me that the float wasn't doing anything and that I should ask for help. It WAS a busy afternoon. I got 14 consults in 5 hours on-call. My float saw one of them. But I could have seen that patient and still gotten done at a reasonable hour. Without leaving any leftovers for the night person. I've NEVER left anybody for the oncoming doc. Never. And my float person has never once asked me if I've needed help while on-call. Background complete.

So, Monday started out benignly. I was busy pretty much from the start. Saw, and admitted, 6 patients in succession from the ER and left the hospital around 9pm. Not leaving anybody for my night person to see. The on-call person left them one. Tuesday: I did nothing. Nada. Got out of clinic a little later than normal. The on-call person and I spent the evening shooting-the-shit in the office. He did see a consult and one direct admission over the course of several hours but didn't need me to help him because they came one at a time. No one left for our night guy. Wednesday. Yeah. This is where most of the weirdness came in. Got a text from the on-call person about 430 asking if I could give her a hand. I had just gotten done with clinic and already had 2 in the ER waiting for me. Told her I'd give her a hand when I got caught up. I did. She asked me to see a consult. I did. And then asked if there was someone else she wanted me to see. There was. I saw that person as well. Asked her again if she needed anything. She said no. I, once again, left nothing for the night person and the on-call person left one. Yesterday, I saw 2 peops in the ER early in the afternoon and then another for my on-call person. Then tackled 2 consults for him as well. At 745 I got another hit from the ED and saw it (as opposed to leaving it for the oncoming night person), leaving the hospital at around 845.

Where's the drama? Well the Wednesday call person let me know that she didn't appreciate my attitude to her on the phone. Apparently I was being rude and she had never had that kind of interaction before with a "colleague." She cried in the office while talking to me about this. That's right, folks. Cried. To be fair, I probably WAS short with her on the phone. I was just trying to get the work done, just trying to help her as quickly as possible so I would be ready if something new came from the ER. And, FYI? This was the same person who was float the day I had the record-breaking consult call. The same one who never offered to help me. The same person who, when I asked her, only saw one patient for me and then didn't talk to me again for the rest of the night. So, yeah. Fun.

There's more. Little comments from the Thursday call person to me about "sharing" the load when on float. That kind of thing. Really? Wasn't that what I was doing? And let me remind you once again: When I've been on call I have NEVER been offered help by the float person. This week on float, I've ALWAYS offered assistance to the call person. Am I the only person who finds this twilight-zone weird?

Yep. The honeymoon is over. And I don't even have a tan to show for it.

a bonus share

yep. they really are that cute.

you asked for it

So, an update?

the bird
I was going to tell all of you this great story about how Geege and I rescued a bird from the Texas State Fair. I was going to tell you that because that little bird was so pretty I named her Miles Austin after the perfect specimen of male beauty that is the Cowboys wide receiver who I happened to meet just prior. I was going to tell you how I was planning on transferring a lot of energy previously reserved for life drama (boy and other) into my new companion. I was going to tell you all of that and I was going to tell it with at least some degree of humor. Unfortunately, little Miles Austin passed away after less than a week under my care. And it sucked. Big time.

NOLA
Remember the weekend celebration I mentioned was forthcoming in New Orleans? Well, it's since passed and lived up to all expectations. What I didn't tell you was that the highlight of the weekend was supposed to be the NKOTB concert. Yeah, not joking. That's what Nat wanted for her 30th and what Nat wants Nat gets. As it should be on one's birthday, yes? It. Was. Hilarious. Seriously! There were probably about 15 guys total in the audience and they either had all done something very, very bad and were repenting or else they should be sainted. Everyone else was a drunk/giddy woman in her early 30s. Listen, I'll admit it. I was a big New Kids fan back in the 6th grade. I *hearted* Donnie:) But I thought I was going to have to pump myself up for this show. I thought I was going to have to drink some serious beer and then put on a little show of my own to make this fun for Natalie. Not the case. Oh, I drank serious beer. But I didn't have to fake my enthusiasm one bit. I still can't believe how much fun it was, how into it we got. And I got GREAT video. Yes, it's true. Donnie Wahlberg is still in as much love with me as he was back in '90. The footage proves it and I will definitely share once I get it uploaded to youtube:)

grown-up guy
It turns out that grown-up guys come with grown-up problems. And when those problems get really hard they revert a little bit back to boys. I really wanted to be there for him. I tried really hard to be there for him. But he just wasn't ready for me or for that. Or something. He's not completely gone. Still there in the periphery. The thing is, I don't have the greatest of peripheral vision. Ya know? I'm more of a straight ahead kind of girl . . .

my birthday
Honestly? Not the best one. Not by a long shot.

work
Still going well. Really well, actually. I can't tell you how happy it makes me that I actually enjoy what I do again. And the feeling I get when I'm driving home from a long day, knowing that I made a difference? Yeah. It's good. Really good.

kickball
So, it turns out, coed sports aren't that much fun. There is this superiority thing that guys get in competitive sports that's infuriating. Allow me a little vent? Just because I am not the most athletic person in the world does not mean that I don't know what's going on. Just because I believe in having fun on the field doesn't mean that I'm retarded. Just because I'm a girl does not mean that I'm ignorant about sports. So, back the hell off boys. And, no. Buying me a beer afterwards doesn't make up for the condescending attitude during the game. It just doesn't. Thanks. I feel better.

halloween
Sister Sarah and I went as extreme flag football players. That just about says it all doesn't it?