Into the great wide open -->

5 months in...it's something, how time flies. Just flies. At this point I'm 5 months into my pharmacy residency - specifically, Community Practice Residency with the University of Iowa, at Mercy Family Pharmacy-Dubuque (and the Blogger dictionary doesn't recognize Dubuque? wtf?) - so, nearly halfway through my year, which ends next June. I was talking with my residency director today - actually, going through what turned into a 3-hour-long assessment of my first 5 months (which turned out well, if you're wondering) - and she asked me if I'd started looking for jobs/thinking about where I wanted to go post-residency. And I had...I just hadn't hit it too seriously. I haven't updated my resume/CV (maybe tomorrow..) and have only perused a few job opportunities. All of them are at least part-time pharmacy faculty positions, in fact. But, I suppose it's time, even if it's still 7 months until this gig finishes. I was in the same boat exactly 12 months ago, and about to head to Las Vegas for the annual pharmacy residency fair. Surprisingly, I'm also about to head back to Las Vegas this weekend, just for very different reasons. 

 It's my buddy Mike's bachelor party, of course. Based on a pure financial analysis, this might not be the most sound decision I've made in my life. However...however...and it has nothing to do with The Hangover - I've always wanted to do a bachelor party somewhere like Vegas, and I figured this was probably my only chance. Not that I had to...but what the heck.

In other news...the Sunfire is officially dead...and the Sonata, thankfully, takes her place!

Such a huge change from my little Sunfire - 4 doors, V6, A/C, power windows/locks/seats, moonroof, only 35,000 miles, huuuge trunk, every airbag imaginable. Real nice!


And now...for a list of things I currently like:::


- the thought of a 4 day Thanksgiving vacation headed my way in less than 48 hours
- on top of that, a 5 day trip to Anaheim the following weekend (unfortunately, it doesn't look like the weather will be all that fantastic for either trip...)
- wait, there's more: 8 days in Mexico coming up following Christmas at the Laird house (resort) in Mexico (and no, I did NOT know about this until Amy and I had been dating for a bit)
- the Packers playoff/Super Bowl chances this year. They are certainly the best team in their division, and no other team in the NFC really scares me, unless Michael Vick can play like he did last week on MNF.
- the Badgers chances of returning to the Rose Bowl (or a BCS bowl, at worst) this year for the first time in 11 years...Teach me how to Bucky!
- Skillet's Awake & Alive
- The Deathly Hallows Part 1: saw it this weekend, and yes, like the book, it gets a bit long in parts but sticks closely to its plot. Which is what you, I, and everyone else really wants. 
- the coming of snow, if only for two reasons: being at home with nowhere to go while the snow slowly drifts down outside and a cup of hot chocolate in my hand, and the opportunity to finally get back on the slopes, albeit at Sundown Mountain near Dubuque. Amy finally traded her snowboard in for a pair of skis (check that: while she was at work, I stood in line for over an hour at the ski swap, making the exchange) and I can't wait for us to hit the slopes together!
- getting back in to the swing of things at the gym. The last month or so + has been rough, as busy as I've ever been before. I've worked out each of the past 2 days and feel great about it, and have Cali/Mexico to get ready for, of course...
- the new batch of winter lagers coming out...who doesn't love a little coriander in their brew? Check out Summit's Winter Ale and Sam Adams' Winter Lager.

In the mood for some summer skiing?

OK, so this is isn't exactly a picture of a groomed slope, or great off-piste terrain. But soaking in a hot tub after a great day on the slopes is one of life's greatest experiences. The above picture comes from Valle Nevado, the largest resort by skiable terrain in both South America and the Southern Hemisphere. It's located at 3,025 meters (or around 10,000 feet) and is actually open year-round. The vertical drop is close to 3,000 feet, so it's pretty comparable to resorts in Colorado and other western states in that regard. It's only located 30 miles from Santiago, the capital and main air entrance to Chile, so you'd think it'd be pretty accessible. However, paved roads only cover 20 miles of that journey; the rest are on narrow, twisting mountain roads that are only allow traffic up the mountain between 8 am and 2 pm, and down the mountain between 2 pm and 8 pm, and tire chains are mandated by law. Sounds like getting there is half the fun (?)

Makes traveling I-70 up to Vail not seem so bad after all...

Homeless (?)

The last week has been pretty interesting - Amy and I finished moving things from Omaha -> Minneapolis -> Dubuque, using the 14' U-Haul truck towing the Sunfire. Unfortunately, we weren't able to move in to our actual apartment yet, so we had to store our things in an adjacent room. Our landlord, Chris, told us that we'd probably be able to move in sometime early this week - like, today - but after getting off the phone with him this morning, it's looking like Friday at the earliest. That's real convenient, since I start my residency next Monday. In the meantime, Amy's parents have been kind enough to let us stay at their cottage in Door County. It's been relaxing and fun, and I've gotten a good amount of studying done for boards. However, it's frustrating to not have a home, especially when we'd been targeting June 1st for a long time as our move-in date. We are both excited as heck about the new place, we saw an apartment that was pretty much finished, and it looks fantastic. But it'd be much better if we could just move in already! Looks like we'll be continuing to stay with her parents through the week in Green Bay - again, so many thanks to them! - and hopefully Friday works out for Dubuque.

Here's a rendering of what our living room/kitchen will look like - it's going to be awesome with hardwood floors and a mounted 42" TV. It even has a sweet rooftop deck large enough to play yard games, and comes with a grill. For now, though, we can only dream about what it'll be like when we finally do move in...

Back From Hiatus

So, the last week or so has been pretty hectic - Erin graduated from law school, and I've been staying up in Minneapolis with Amy, helping her pack and getting everything together for the move to Dubuque. I just found out from my preceptor that I can start a few weeks early, and get some time in with the current resident to ease my transition. Plus, it means I will actually get to make some money, too...which will be nice considering the current state of my funds. Not pretty...

Tomorrow we head back to Omaha to pack all my things up, and we have 3 days, so I'm not thinking it's going to be very hectic at all. Then, we are renting a U-Haul and dragging the Sunfire back to Minnesota, and finally packing all of Amy's things up and will be on our way to Dubuque next Tuesday. Can't wait to check out the new apartment, we're just hoping it's done in time... Looking forward to using the 42'' TV and the rooftop patio!

I ran across the profile page of a guy I graduated from high school with, Steve Garrington. Apparently he's the bassist for the Retribution Gospel Choir, and is currently on tour in Spain with the band. They've played at SXSW in Austin and are under contract witih SubPop records, which I think is pretty impressive. I listened to a few of their songs and they're pretty awesome! They're opening for Wilco for a few of their next shows. Here's the link to one of their songs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf-r7aRBRHI

Just impressive to see fellow Ashlanders(?) doing well!

Another note of interest is that Amy is finally signed up for classes for next fall at UW-Platteville. We looked at all the classes she has to take as pre-reqs for PA school and sort of put together a mock schedule for the next two years. She also looked at quite a few schools, but is pretty set on wanting to go to Augsburg, since it's in the Twin Cities. However, there are 140 schools across the country, and more opening up next year, so I'm not too worried about her getting in. The nice thing about a pharmacy job is that I shouldn't have too hard of a time finding a job, no matter where she ends up.

We also are heading over to her friends' house in Shakopee tonight for a dinner with a few couples, and then stopping by my sister's in Eden Prairie to pick up a chair and TV stand being donated to us by her for our new place. Coupled with the couch we bought off Craigslist we should have a nice setup in the living room.

One other thing we've been discussing a lot is the unbelievable amount we're going to try to cram into our weekends this summer. Just about every weekend from now through the end of summer is already booked with either a trip to one of our cabins, a visit from family, a trip to Chicago, or a trip to Minneapolis. Sure hope neither of us has much in the way of either homework or research for our classes/residency that we have to get done on the weekends! I wouldn't have it any other way, however - it's going to be a great summer.

Victoria, B.C.

Empress Hotel, Inner Harbor

Everyone knows about Vancouver - everyone. The recent Winter Olympics certainly introduced the city and southwestern British Columbia (i.e. Whistler) to anyone who wasn't aware of the incredible beauty of the Pacific Coast Ranges surrounding the city, and the incredible architecture of the inner harbor area. However, though Vancouver is the largest city in B.C., it's not the capital. That title goes to Victoria, part of the second largest metro area in the province, situated at the southern end of Vancouver Island and about 60 miles southwest of the city of Vancouver. The Greater Victoria Capital District, which includes the city's suburbs, numbers at over 330,000. One interesting fact about the area is that, although it is only 60 miles as the crow flies from both Vancouver and Seattle, because of the rain shadow that Victoria lies in it receives only one-half as much rain in an average year as either city. This may account for the fact that it has become a major retirement destination for those from B.C. and Alberta in the past few decades.

The Azores

(courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

How much do YOU know about the Azores? Because I certainly knew about nil before stumbling upon them. They're an archipelago of islands located in the Atlantic about 1000 miles off the coast of Portugal, of which they are a part. They extend for almost 400 miles, a group of massive volcanoes. In fact, Mt Pico, which is shown above, is the highest point in Portugal. The volcanoes themselves, if measured from the ocean floor base, are some of the largest in the world. Though only 906 square miles in area, they are home to almost 250,000 people.

Angra de Heroismo, one of the three capitals of the Azores (each branch of government is hosted by a separate city), is the oldest continuously inhabited area on the islands. Its central area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Deep Into the Heart of Cambodia...

(courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

...lies the nation's treasure to the world, Angkor Wat. This massive former capital site, built in the 12th century, is the best preserved example of Khmer architecture in existence, which is classical in nature and often likened to early Greek works. Angkor Wat, which literally means "city temple", has put Cambodia on the map for travelers to SE Asia. In fact, estimates say that over 50% of visitors to Cambodia list seeing Angkor Wat as their primary reason for visiting the country. The temple is now part of the Angkor World Heritage Site, which more or less exists so that other nations can pour money into its preservation and restoration. In fact, most work done on the site is done by volunteers from Western nations, rather than by the Cambodian government.

Cave Tubing and the Blue Hole

Caves excite me, for some reason. The thought of spelunking has always sounded like a lot of fun - though, I know that if a swarm of bats swooped down upon me, I'd probably think otherwise. Cave tubing through underground rivers is a popular, if seemingly very touristed experience on the Caves Branch River in Belize. I was able to find several websites that set up 1/2 day or day trips on the river, and they definitely seem comparable to trips on the Apple River when it comes to debauchery and age group. 

While on the subject of Belize, I came along this photo of the Great Blue Hole. It's a large underwater sinkhole located on the reefs off Belize's coast. It formed when the roof caved in on the cave system underlying the ocean floor. It's over 400 feet deep and believed to be the largest of its kind in the world. It really gained notoriety when Jacques Cousteau declared it one of the top ten dive sites in the world, and it is now protected as part of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System (another UNESCO World Heritage Site, in fact); the Belize Barrier Reef is actually the second largest reef system in the world, after Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Today's Great Pics

(courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

Today's travels take us to..the Alps? Nope. This is actually Lake Titicaca, which sits at 12,500 feet of elevation and straddles the border of Bolivia and Peru. It's one of the highest commercially navigable lakes in the world, and is also the largest freshwater lake in South America at 3,200 square miles (in comparison, Lake Superior is almost 32,000 square miles in surface area - 10x the size!). Lake Maracaibo, in Venezuela, is larger but is also partially saltwater.  Unfortunately, the lake's size is shrinking pretty rapidly due to the melting of the glaciers that feed it in the Andes and the shortened rainy seasons Bolivia has been experiencing as of late. Titicaca is known for the various indigenous peoples that inhabit its shores, and its relative proximity to the capital of Bolivia, La Paz.

(courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

La Paz claims the title of world's highest capital city, at 10,000 feet (some of its suburbs sit at over 13,000 feet, however). The mountain seen in the background, Illimani (nicknamed "the Guardian of La Paz"), rises to 21,200 feet, and is snow-covered throughout the year. La Paz has a metropolitan area of about 2.4 million, and has a pretty impressive skyline for the capital city of one of the poorest nations in South America. However, over the past 15 years Bolivia's political climate has become a lot more stable, and the country has taken advantage of its great resources of tin and other metals. The city is still a very cheap place to visit for tourists; it ranks 270 out of the 282 largest non-US cities in the world for ex-pats to live in.

Great Pics

(courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

This beautiful locale is the coast of the island of Corfu, Greece. It is the 2nd largest of Greece's Ionian Islands. Therefore, it's probably located in the eastern Mediterranean, right? Actually, not. The Ionians are off Greece's northwest coast, near its border with Albania and in the Ionian Sea. Not only does it contain amazing coastline such as this, but its capital city, Corfu town, is a sight in its own. It has been designated a Kastropolis, or castle town, by the Greek government due to the city being surrounded by several of these. The old town has also been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Not surprisingly, Corfu is a pretty popular summer tourist destination for many Europeans.

(South Castle; courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

Here is an interesting Greek mythological tale explaining the origin of the island's name (thanks to Wikipedia):

The island is connected to the history of Greece from the beginning of Greek mythology. Its Greek name, Kerkyra or Korkyra, is related to two powerful water symbols: Poseidon, god of the sea, and Asopos, an important Greek mainland river.^[2] According to myth, Poseidon fell in love with the beautiful nymph Korkyra, daughter of Asopus and river nymph Metope, and abducted her, as was the custom among gods of the era's myths. Zeus was a serial offender.^[2] Poseidon brought Metope to the hitherto unnamed island and, in marital bliss, offered her name to the place: Korkyra,^[2] which gradually evolved to Kerkyra (Doric).^[3] Together, they had a child they called Phaiax, after whom the inhabitants of the island were named: Phaiakes. This term was transliterated via Latin to Phaeacians. The island's history is laden with battles and conquests, indicative of Corfu's turbulent position in a historical vortex lasting until the modern period.

Grrrreat!

The best start to a day, in my mind, is to a) have a great breakfast with a bunch of coffee after sleeping to your heart's content (though not too late..) and b) getting in a great workout after letting your stomach settle.

Well, that's exactly what I was able to do today. After slumbering for awhile this AM, I brewed a fresh pot of Kona blend coffee (my new favorite) and then set to cooking up a delicious scramble. I used 3 jumbo eggs to start. Then, I chopped up 1/2 a ripe Roma tomato, some sweet onion, and cubed some pepperjack cheese. I also cut up some chicken teriyaki bites I'd bought from the store, and added some diced BBQ chicken to boot. I scrambled it all up, then added some medium red salsa, and mixed that in too. It was fantastic! I was thinking I might need some toast with peanut butter to complement it, but that was not necessary. Even got to watch some morning Sportscenter to go along with it.

A little later, after doing some fantasy baseball analysis and making plans for later in the day, I decided it was high time I go for a run. The weather wasn't really cooperating, so I headed for my apartment complex's small gym, which includes a pretty decent treadmill and a TV. I wasn't sure exactly how far i was going to go, I just knew that I wasn't going to pay attention to it (i.e. covering up the distance marker). After 3.5 miles, I was feeling pretty good, but just didn't really feel like running for much longer, so I went ahead and more or less sprinted the last 1/2 mile. Needless to say, sweat was flyin'. It felt fantastic, and my head is in a great place right now. It's a shame I don't exercise in the morning more often, but I'm just in the habit of doing so in the late afternoon or evening, depending on my schedule. And I know that once I start with my residency, there's no way I make it a habit of getting up at 5:45 to go for a jog or lift weights...or is there?

Great Pics

I realized as I was surfing today how much I love coming across random beautiful photographs of nature and cityscapes from around the world. And with that, I decided it'd be fun to introduce you (and myself) to random photos of places you may or may not have heard of from 'round this incredible planet. Here's one I came across today that blew me away-

This is the Fenda de Tunavala ("hole" in the Tunavala precipice) in Angola. I guess it's fairly rare to have a cloudless shot of this place, since it's so near the Atlantic Ocean that most of the time it's shrouded in mist. It's 4,600 feet from top to bottom - yes, of nearly sheer cliffside. Angola is certainly a nation that I can't say is near the top of my list, or even my African to-do list, but would definitely be a place worth visiting! (make sure to click on the picture to show it in full-size format)

This, however, is absolutely on a must-do list. It's Cappadocia, Turkey, a karst landscape in which people have lived IN for centuries. There are thousands of natural caves in these rocks due to their soft nature, and many more that are man-made. You can even stay in them because some ingenious entrepreneurs decided it'd be a good idea to build some hotels inside them. The other big draw of Cappadocia is the abundance of hot air balloon operators in the area that take advantage of the incredible landscape.

One more place you've likely not heard of are the Phi Phi Islands off the coast of Thailand. They're world-renowned for their rock climbing. Images like this always make me think of southern China or Vietnam, but apparently these rock formations exist in Thailand, too. My friend Rob Greenfield recently tripped through Thailand and saw sights very similar to this one. Even if I didn't go for the rock climbing, the photography opportunities alone would make it worth it! Throw in a warm climate, beautiful seas, and a great exchange rate, and I say let's go!

I plan on keeping up with this and posting more interesting pictures of places you may not have heard of in the future, so keep checking back!

Life Is Good

So it's been awhile, huh? My last post was about 2 months ago, and I guess you could say a ton has happened since then. Let's recap:

1) I went to Minneapolis for 5 weeks and completed my hospital pharmacy rotation at Ridgeview Medical Center in Waconia. Living with Erin was nice, especially since it will probably never happen again. It was good to spend some time getting to know Mike better, as well (her husband). What was best, however, was being just a 15 minute drive away from Amy. We were able to spend a lot of time together - we'd meet at Kona for happy hour dinner on a weekly basis, and every weekend we spent with each other.

2) I learned that Dubuque, IA was where'd I'd be for the next year of my life. I got a residency with Mercy Medical Center and the University of Iowa's community pharmacy residency program! I'm stoked to start July 1st.

3) Amy and I went apartment hunting in Dubuque a few weeks ago, and after looking at 5 different digs, we settled on a brand-new loft-style apartment right by the river and downtown. It's absolutely incredible, and we can even have a small dog! Looking forward to the rooftop deck with views of the river, the 42" flatscreen TV that comes with it, the coffee shop and gym on the first floor, and the location right on Main St.

4) I've been playing a ton of tennis the past few weeks, and Amy and I played both days this weekend. We are really excited to be able to play a lot this summer, and we're both improving pretty steadily. We're both pumped to play in the annual Washburn tennis tournament in August, which will probably be the next time I'm back home.

5) Speaking of home, I visited both my parents last weekend. On Friday, I spent time with my mom, and we had a great dinner at the Deepwater Grille and then I was able to use the hot tub for the first time in awhile! In the morning we played indoors tennis since the weather was "meh". Later on, I went to my dad's and got to play with their new puppy, Puff, for the first time. He is no Jinx, but he's going to be an awesome member of the fam. Then, we went to dinner at the Good Thyme, an incredible restaurant outside Washburn, and finished the night listening to some music at StageNorth. Great night! Sunday was spent lounging around the house and just enjoying being on the big lake.

6) I've started preparing for graduation and taking care of things that need to be done. May 15 the is the graduation, but the following weekend in Minneapolis is when my whole family will actually be together to celebrate and party :)  Have to say I"m really looking forward to that! We'll also be celebrating Dane and Erin's graduations at that time. I've also started to get a handle on my loan repayments, and am in the process of applying for income-based repayment, so that with my residency salary I'll be able to handle payments. I registered to take the pharmacy boards and am applying for licensure in Iowa, and the total cost of all that is $1,000 !! Not very cool, and very daunting, too. I also made the decision that, assuming my car holds up, I'm going to hold off on getting a new one until next year, when I have a full pharmacist's salary. Sad, but true. It's ok, it's not exactly a pressing need at the moment...

So, that's what's news! Lots of good stuff, including my fantasy baseball team's recent surge in the standings. Looking forward to the next few months, outside of actually taking the NAPLEX and actually moving my stuff to Dubuque, but other than that I'm really excited about everything. Life is good...

Gone too soon

There are pets. And then there was Jinx. Or Jinxy, as we called him. I received a phone call tonight from my sister, who broke the bad news to me that our favorite little Australian shepherd had passed away on Saturday. I have to be honest, getting to play with Jinx was one of my favorite things about going home to my dad's over the course of the past 7 years. I'm not sure I'll ever have another pet with so much character. He was exceedingly intelligent, like most herding dogs, and had my dad ever put in the time, I am sure he would have been a great show dog. As it was, he was a fantastic watchdog and family member, and I know he filled the void that my sister and I left when we headed for college. I recall asking my dad about him very often when we spoke on the phone, and Jinx was nearly always at my dad's feet, or curled up on the couch next to my dad in the living room. He also was affectionately called "SnackMan" by my dad, since any mention of the word "snack" and Jinx was immediately thrown into high-gear, and hightailed it to the snack drawer. He'd spin, bark, and if he wasn't pacified with a treat in sufficient amount of time, he'd more or less start whining in what sounded like talking. Anothing thing about him was the way he walked - he wasn't called "Swivel Hips" for nothing. He had extremely expressive eyes, blue eyes with one half-brown. But above all, my favorite thing about the little guy was his reaction every time I returned home, no matter how long I'd been away. I'd pull into the driveway, and if he was outside, he'd run up to me and start to "play". Our little game involved me alternately chasing and running away from him, and he'd dart and dip and try to get past me, then I'd sprint away from him and he'd try to chase me down. It was fun, and great exercise, and I knew he absolutely loved it. I did too. What is strangely ironic about the entire situation is that for the past few weeks, Amy and I have been talking a lot about getting a small dog, like Jinx, this summer when we move in together. Then, on Sunday, we went to the Minnesota Pet Expo, and two small dogs about Jinx's size were our favorites, and we rattled on about them afterward. Just a strange coincidence, I guess. In any case, no pet will ever be quite like Jinx. I'm going to miss him badly, but I'll always treasure the time we had with him, and his memory will live on.

Residency match possibilities

 

Minneapolis...

 

Wabasha/Winona, MN?

 

Dubuque...

 

Davenport?

 

Iowa City...

 

Mount Vernon, IA...

 

Cedar Rapids...

 

or Eau Claire?

Hard to say which of these places (if any) I'll end up at next year. I interviewed in Philadelphia but didn't get a good vibe from the city, so I don't think I'll be ranking it. I feel like any of the above programs would be great for me and for my career, and the year I spend will be busy but I'm sure I'll find time to explore the area and have enough fun to keep myself sane... The match results are March 17th, so we'll see...

Monday Nirvana

Ah, the magic of music in one's quest for relaxation. After a long day at the hospital and my first case presentation for my current preceptor, Dr. Hilleman (who's just one of those guys that almost everyone finds intimidating at first - mostly due to his extremely sarcastic nature and his reputation for being extremely intelligent), I came home with the intention of chilling out, catching up on friends' blogs, and figuring out what I'm going to do tonight. I decided to put on the Telepopmusik Pandora station, and four songs in, I'm already feeling much better! Zero 7, Moby, and Bliss have followed Telepop with some very chill tunes, and my high stress level around 2 pm seems very distant.

My journey to a potential residency is nearing its end. I have just one interview remaining, in Philadelphia, this Thursday, and then March 5th is when all students have to rank their sites by preference. March 17th is when the match list comes out (St Patty's Day!), and any residency you match with you are contractually bound to. In another instance, I might not even consider ranking a few of these sites - I wouldn't be too keen on moving to Wabasha (or Winona), Minn on my own as a single young professional. As it turns out, however, Amy and I have decided that our next step in our relationship should involve living together, which would be especially important if I end up at a residency that's not in Minneapolis. With the knowledge that I'll have my best friend with me, it makes just about any destination exciting and interesting! I consider myself so damn lucky. In fact, this past weekend we celebrated Valentine's Day a weekend late, and had a fantastic time on Saturday night as I made New  York Strip with mushrooms, onions, and green peppers, plus some asparagus and a wine that we purchased last fall at a wine tasting in Nebraska. Then we saw Shutter Island (totally recommend it - one of the best movies I've ever seen in the thriller/mystery genre). Also, on Friday night we went to an Omaha bar that is the home for the area's techno and house music scene. My freshman roomie at Wisconsin is a DJ living here, and he performed some of his original work - and it was very, very good. Relaxing, chill house music at its best.

One of my long-standing M.O.s, and one of the reasons for success that I've found is to always have contigency plans, and to give yourself as many options as possible. This served me well when applying for pharmacy schools - I was accepted to Wisconsin, but because I received a B- in my last semester of undergrad, I was de-accepted. I knew that it was a possibility that I might have issues with Wisconsin, so I also responded to Creighton, stating that I'd be attending there, too. So, in effect, for a while I was a new incoming student at two pharmacy schools. It worked out, because had I not had a backup plan, I wouldn't have started pharmacy school when I did... The same thing applies to residencies. I certainly don't have to interview in Philadelphia. But, if I were to not match at one of the other 8 sites, I would kick myself if I didn't at least look at Philly. So, it's more work up front, but it often ends up saving you a lot of headaches down the road. At least, that's how things have played out for me so far.

The thrill of victory!

As I sit here watching the women's downhill at the Vancouver Olympics, I still find it amazing that my stepmom, Coke, participated in the Los Angeles Summer Games in the early 80s in handball...who cares if very few Americans have any idea what handball is, fact is, Coke can always say she was an Olympian, and you can't take that away from her! It was awesome to watch Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso go 1-2 in the downhill, and just watching skiing makes me so jealous - I miss racing downhill so much. I also can't wait until I make it to my first Winter Olympics - obviously, as a spectator, but who cares? Probably not Sochi, Russia, in 4 years, but in 8? We'll see...

Anyway, the past weekend was a crazy whirlwind of hanging out with my brother Dane in Madison, meeting Amy's mom for the first time, and then fighting off sickness to bang out 5 different residency interviews with University of Iowa-associated sites in two days' time. Coming out of them, it's tough to say which I'd enjoy the most - they were all THAT good - but it is possible that I could end up in Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, Mt Vernon, Davenport, or Iowa City, IA this coming summer. The important thing is that I think each of them, though slightly different, would prepare me well for a career in community-ambulatory pharmacy, as well as help me work on my teaching, public speaking, and research skills!

My new rotation began today, Cardiology, with one of the most intense professors at Creighton. I already have homework for tomorrow (a drug review on a drug of my choice) that I still have to work on - so off I go!

Gophers, Badgers, Hawkeyes, Oh My!

Well, the past week has been a sort of whirlwind! Let's get down to it...

Last Thursday, your intrepid Midwest adventurer took off from Omaha for Minneapolis, since I had an interview planned for Friday morning at 8 am in Wabasha, MN, for an ambulatory pharmacy residency with the University of Minnesota (Gophers!). The drive wasn't bad minus the freezing rain I encountered in northern Iowa - an area of the country I absolutely loathe driving through (you'd understand if you've ever heard of the time I hit a deer around midnight on my way up to Minnesota from Omaha...but I digress). And let me tell you, freezing rain is only really freezing rain if it sticks to your windshield enough where your wipers alone don't do the trick. You have to continually spray washer fluid as well, plus blast hot air on your windshield, to minimize the amount of ice buildup.
After arriving at Amy's for the night and having a relaxing drink at McCoy's in St Louis Park, I was all set for a good night's sleep prior to my early wake-up call (5:30) the next morning. Unfortunately, I slept like crap that night, and woke up in the morning pretty exhausted. It didn't get much better as I began my drive, since snow had been falling most of the night, and the roads were not in great shape! I spotted multiple accidents along the way, and was slowed down enough to where I had to call the Wabasha Clinic to let them know that I was going to be a half hour late! Not a great entrance...especially when you arrive to find a conference room full of physicians and pharmacists awaiting your arrival, certainly cutting into their schedules. Luckily, the interview went terrific, and after a great lunch at Stacy's in Wabasha with Kurt, the director, and Amy, their current resident, I found myself thinking that it wouldn't be so bad for a year - closer to home, not too far from the Cities, low cost of living...
That night, after trekking back up to the Cities, Amy, Erin, my mom, and I went to watch Michael's basketball team, the Waconia HS freshmen boys, take on Litchfield. Though Michael put his heart into coaching, and lost his voice in the process, the Wildcats came up a little short in the end. It was fun to watch, though, and got me motivated to do some coaching down the road, too. My dad was an excellent coach in basketball, football, and baseball while I was growing up, and I'd love to follow in his footsteps when it comes to that!
Saturday found Amy attending a review session for her Biochem class (what a dedicated trooper!), shopping at Southdale for a blender (protein shakes!) and new running shoes (surprisingly - Nike, but they felt the most comfortable) and later on, all of us attending the Chanhassen Dinner Theater. I'd recommend the place - the dinner was well prepared, and the show we saw, Nunset Boulevard, was pretty well done. It was great to spend time with my mom and step-dad as well.

Sunday we found ourselves at a Super Bowl party, disecting both the game and the commercials. Luckily, the Saints dream season came true, and what appears to be the most beloved team in the NFL not named the Packers gave their rabid fan base a chance to celebrate, Mardi Gras style. I was happy for them, though I wished the game had been like the last couple of years' - down to the wire!
Sunday night, the snow started falling again, with storm estimates of 7 to 12 inches of snow by Tuesday. Not good news, since on Monday I had plans to drive to Eau Claire for another residency interview, and then hightail it back to Omaha that afternoon and night. It was not to be. First off, even though I gave myself an extra hour to get there, I still ended up being late (again!) for an interview, though the staff was completely understanding. I liked the program there as well, and though it has some in-patient focused learning, I still think I would prepare myself well for a career in ambulatory and academic pharmacy. After arriving back in Minneapolis to gather my things for the drive back home, I looked at the Iowa DOT website, and noticed that my route was deemed "hazardous" and that no towing of stranded vehicles was allowed due to the storm. That sealed the deal, and I stayed the night at Amy's once again (not that I minded...). We ended up watching District 9 that night, the Peter Jackson sci-fi flick, and I can't say it lived up to what the critics were saying. But still, not too shabby.
Tuesday I got on the road after 10, and didn't arrive home until after 6 pm (it's usually less than a 6 hour drive). Schools were closed throughout northern Iowa, and I could see why - blowing snow over the interstate made travel pretty tough. The underpasses were all very slippery, and at times blowing snow made seeing the road nearly impossible. But, slowly but surely, I made it home safely, albeit exhausted.
During that time, I received info from SuperValu that they wanted me to interview in Philadelphia in a few weeks - so, last night, I booked my flight and hotel for that trip Feb 24/25. Not that I'm excited about paying for the travel, but I loved the program after my interview at Cub Foods in Minnesota, and it could only help my match chances to interview out east.
After that whirlwind of a weekend - it would make sense to take it easy for a bit. But no! I'm off to Madison tomorrow to visit Dane for the weekend, catch a Badger hockey game Saturday (Badgers!), and hopefully play some tennis. Amy had planned on coming down from Minnesota originally, but has a chemistry exam on Monday, so decided it would behoove her to stay home and study up all weekend. Smart move...those classes are tough from what I recall!
The reason I planned on going to Mad-town in the first place was because Monday/Tuesday next week I have interviews with the Univ of Iowa (Hawkeyes!) community pharm residency program. My first interview is Mon morning in Dubuque, less than 2 hours from Madison. The others are in Cedar Rapids, Mt Vernon, Davenport, and Iowa City. Monday night I'll be staying in Davenport, which I've never been to before, in a hotel room being paid for by the U of I! Finally a residency taking care of its candidates!
To be honest, I really would just like to stay home this weekend and rest up, since I'm pretty exhausted, feeling kind of sick, and start a new, difficult rotation in cardiology next week. But, I'd rather have interviews than not, so this is what I've got to do, easy or not. It's all part of doing what I have to do to get where I want to be, which is having a job in pharmacy that I enjoy, is challenging yet rewarding, and allows me to use my knowledge in the best way possible. And I want to honestly say that I did everything in my power to get to that point, which is why I titled this blog "Dream --> Reality" in the first place.

The workout "high"

Ahhh! I just finished my protein shake following a great workout, and the endorphin rush is in full effect. What a great feeling it is to push your body physically and see a change take place over a period of time. With the type of workouts I'm doing, and the healthy diet I've been abiding by, I feel like I can already see a change...I know that is likely wishful thinking, but even if it's in my head, it's going to motivate me to continue to workout at this pace. Not to say that I've gotten fanatical about it, but just that it's become a more important part of my life as of late. And it feels good!
Other good news rolled in today - I was emailed by the coordinator at the Cub/SuperValu pharmacy residency, and they want to see if I'd like to interview with their program site in Philadelphia. Of course, there's only one position there, too, but if it gives me another shot at getting the type of residency I want, then I most likely should probably go ahead and go for it! Not that I really am in the mood to fly to Philly in the next month, but that's what I'd have to do. So we'll see, I emailed them back to let them know I was interested in finding out more about their program.

Tomorrow I'll be back on the road, and I feel better knowing I'll have AAA on my side at last! Up to Minnesota for my interview Friday (Wabasha, MN) and Monday (Eau Claire), and a weekend with the family. We have reservations for the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre on Sat night, which I'm looking forward to - dinner and a play, what a great idea! It's supposed to be pretty funny performance, so I'm excited about the prospects of laughing some wine up my nose at some point.
Today happened to be National Signing Day in college football, and, like always, Wisconsin's class was not highly ranked by national scouts. However, as is the case with their basketball team, intelligent, well-coached athletes often trump over those more athletic yet undisciplined. Hopefully that will continue to be the case for Wisky. Though neither team has or likely will win a national championship in the near future, both teams are consistently solid-to-excellent, if not exceedingly "exciting to watch" on the field or court - that is, unless winning's your thing...  :)
Well, I have laundry to do, as well as packing, plus a little research for my preceptor tomorrow, and the night is flying by. Have a great weekend!

Looking back at Ireland: Day 1, Dublin

So what I plan on doing here is posting the emails sent to friends and family from my Europe trip this past year. Some of the writings are from my mom, since we jointly wrote them, so I'll add any notes afterward if I can think of anything. Enjoy!

November 27-28, 2009

Ceile meile failte! Or at least that’s what we heard upon arriving in Ireland – one hundred thousand welcomes. So, Linda and Trev sit here after a very interesting first, oh, 30 hours. We both arrived in New Jersey with no problems, and then the fun began. Our plane for Dublin had “mechanical” problems – so after sitting for awhile  on board, we were sent over to another plane, hopefully problem-free.  And it was. But that’s not to speak of our flight crew. They were…interesting, to say the least. One of them decided Trev was going to be their new best “male” friend…uh…and he offered me a beer on the house. Terrific… He never got around to getting it to Trev, but the gesture sure was thoughtful…hahaha. Anyway, our plane was A) HOT, B) crowded, and C) late arriving to Dublin. Other than that…well, what do you expect? It’s Continental J 

So, without really any meaningful sleep, we grabbed our luggage after landing (which included more “mechanical” problems on the baggage claim belt…”) and after maneuvering around pushy Germans to buy our bus tickets, headed to Dublin’s city center. The Ashfield House is a former church converted into a hostel…yes, Linda is staying in a hostel. We “freshened up” in the luggage room, and after storing our bags and eating the continental breakfast they provided, headed to Trinity College to take the Historical Walking Tour of Dublin.

3 hours later and much smarter we crashed!  For 3 hours…  then we showered and got ready to go eat a real Irish meal.   Someone steered us to a great place, O’Shea’s, not touristy.  We had the stew and soup and brown bread and oour first Guinness and Jamison.  Then on to Long Stone pub, and it was really neat.  Then the highlight!   Oliver St. John Gogarty’s where we found traditional irish music, wher e people just jumped in to play, it was great, and Trevor got calledLinda’s husband and we got quite a few looks!  And laughs amongst ourselves  haha! We even liked their music enough to buy their CD, fully of all kinds of reels and jigs and Irish ballads…should be good.

After Linda decided her stomach was too full of alcohol and a little light on the sustenance factor, we hit the streets for our hostel and, well, here we are! Having a blast and the weather has even cooperated so far. We are a little concerned that the flooding in SW Ireland may change our plans a little because eof closed roads, etc, but no big deal, it will be fun in any case.

Tomorrow we plan to visit Trim Castle in Trim, the castle used in Braveheart’s Sterling Castle scenes. Lookning forward to it!

Notes: I can't remember the last time I was as tired as when we were doing the Historical Walking Tour. It was a pretty good tour, I'd recommend it, our guide was a life-long Dubliner and former Trinity student who told some good jokes, and even went longer than scheduled, but by the last hour I was just zoned out and can't say I really enjoyed everything as much as I would have liked. Dublin certainly doesn't have the big name sights that Paris, Rome, or London do - and we never even made it to the biggest of them all, the Guinness Storehouse! That's kind of like going to Paris and missing the Louvre! But it's ok, gives me something to see next time. 

Also, luckily the floods never did affect us, other than a slight detour on the bus while driving from Limerick to Galway. But the pictures we saw in the news of some areas of the country were pretty bad, and a few towns had to be evacuated completely.

7 weeks 'til MN

It is hard to believe that over 3 weeks have already gone by since I arrived back in Omaha following my 5 week vacation to home, Ireland, and Mexico. Pretty soon I will be on my 7th and final Omaha rotation, and then I'll be living with my sister and brother-in-law in Minnesota. And my time in Omaha, though a good experience overall, will have come to an end. The reason this is on my mind is that I am currently wishing I was there, and not here, and I have been having to make quite a lot of trips up north recently, and will be doing so again Thursday for a weekend with Amy & the fam, plus two interviews. Sure would save some money on gas and oil changes!

Speaking of traveling - I finally joined AAA! I had no idea it was so cheap to join, and that membership came with so many benefits. I highly recommend it to anyone else who does a lot of traveling, and I know it would have come in handy a few times over the past couple of years during all of my road tripping to MN and WI.  It was only $58 for the entire year, and short of fixing your car, they'll do just about everything for you, incl towing and changing batteries. Nice!

I have recently discovered that my desire to look and feel healthier has really taken ahold of me. I've found myself going to the gym or working out at home pretty religiously -and I can tell a difference already. Just from watching the P90X commercials, I've pretty much designed my own workout, and I haven't been this sore in awhile! Feels great and I think that tonight I may take a night off from the muscle building and concentrate on leaning up some more. On that note, I also can't wait until it's nice out so that I can play tennis regularly. Watching the Australian Open and playing last week with Amy was a blast and with the new racquet I have, I've never played better, especially after a long layoff.

My NAPLEX (pharmacy boards) review book came in the mail yesterday, and I already have started looking at its cardiology section in preparation for my next rotation, which I anticipate being my most difficult, due to material and preceptor. So far it looks like a pretty good book, and I'm sure I'll spend a good month with it leading up to the exam. That reminds me, registering for the Naplex and law exams costs over $1000, which is outrageous IMO. I mean, I'm already in waaay too much debt, and then I'll be adding that on top of my tuition loans. Sure is an investment in yourself, isn't it? It will be nice to finally have a positive cash flow in the next year!

I know I spoke of how excited I am at the prospect of becoming more fit earlier, but one thing I do really enjoy that doesn't so much coincide with this idea is my love for trying new craft beers. I've recently discovered Beer Advocate's website, and their list of the top 100 world beers - and so now I have another list to pick at. Most of them aren't even available in Omaha, which is good, since I don't really have the money to spend on these beers - since a 6-pack is usually closer to $10 than not - but everytime I'm at a bar that offers new beers I haven't tried, I make a point of changing that. I tried the Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout (9.0% ABV) at McCoy's in St Louis Park the other night, and it was delicious! And the best bar in the Cities as far as craft brews is concerned just so happened to be the spot of my first date with Amy - the Happy Gnome in St Paul. Check it out if you've never been, the food is fantastic and the beer selection is top notch. Just stay away from anything labeled as having a "chalky" texture...

That's Na Li, dude...

Welll, one interview down, 7 to go! I had my Cub/U of M interview on Wednesday, and it lasted from 7:30 to 4, and let me tell you, day-long interviews are freakin' exhausting. Add on top of that a dinner and meet & greet the night before, plus a 7 1/2 hour drive from Omaha to Minneapolis, and by the end of those two days I was totally spent...On the bright side, i loved the residency and everyone involved with it, and I felt pretty good about how my interviews (I had 3 separate) went, as well as my presentation and case. It was an intense experience, but ended up very well! Now on to the rest, each of which will be much shorter in duration and less stressful, I'm sure.

One thing I forgot to mention in my last post is that St Patrick's Day is right about the time I have to post my match rankings for residencies...and a few weeks after that, I'll know whether I matched or not, and if I do, where I'll be for the next year of my life! Hopefully Minneapolis - and Eau Claire and Iowa City wouldn't be bad either - but wherever it is, I'm sure I'll make the best of it, and hopefully really enjoy it. I know the Cub residency would be extremely busy, but would really prepare me well for whatever avenue in pharmacy I want to pursue. And from what I can tell so far, the others all would do the same. So, I feel like if I match with any of the places I'm interviewing with, I'll definitely get a lot out of the next year!

Is it St. Patrick's Day yet?

And why would I be wondering this, you might ask? Well, for two reasons (ok, 3): last year, I missed St. Paddy's Day because I was having my meniscus and ACL surgically repaired at Creighton Hospital and was pretty drugged up on opiates that night; March 17th is about the time I'll be finishing my last rotation in Omaha (and, as such, moving out of Nebraska); and it will be a great time for me to reminisce about my recently completed trip to Ireland!

















Anyway, today has been a day of good news. I finally heard back from the University of Iowa's Community Pharmacy Residency program, and have only to let him know what day I'd like to interview, and which of their sites I'd like to interview at, and he'll set it up. I feel about 100% better knowing that I have at least two interviews now, and the fact that Iowa has 7 different positions available (as compared to Cub/U of M's one position), making my chances of getting a residency that much more likely. Happy days!

So, to celebrate receiving that phone call, I decided that instead of treating myself with a few drinks and maybe feeling crappy tomorrow, that instead I'd head to the gym for a good hour's workout. Great idea! I sort of did a full body lifting session with a little cardio thrown in to get my heart rate up, and I felt fantastic afterward. Only two more days left in this week, too, with a fun weekend to look forward to - hanging out with Amy in Omaha for the first time in quite awhile.

Speaking of her, she started classes on Tuesday, and I couldn't be more proud of her for taking the plunge and going back to school. She's decided on a challenging career path - PA, or at least something related in health care - and the class load she has, including Biochem, Advanced Bio, and Inorganic Chem, will be tough, but hey, with me at her disposal, how can she do wrong? But seriously, I am sure she'll do well and am very excited for her.

I saw the commercial with Sarah McLachlan tonight for AACPA (?), in which you donate $18/month to help save one rescued stray animal. The pictures and music are almost too much, and it made me want to go to an animal shelter this weekend just to play with the dogs they have. I can't wait until I move so that I will have the opportunity to live in a place that allows dogs! That, along with getting a new car, is a major goal of mine this summer.

Going back to my Ireland thought - I think that I'm going to intersperse my thoughts on the trip in here, and luckily my mom and I wrote emails to family on a near-daily rate, so I'll have that to refer to should pictures not be enough to job my memory. But I think I'll be ok - I can still recall almost everything Dane and I did in Europe 1 1/2 yrs ago. It will be fun to rewrite our adventure, and this time I won't have Mom staring over my shoulder as I type! (just kidding, Mom...)

I was looking at average workweeks the world over, and how great would it be to work in a country such as the Netherlands or Denmark? Their workers average 400 hours/year less than their American counterparts. Now, a lot of this is probably due to the relatively high amount of paid leave, which varies from 4 to 6 weeks throughout Western Europe. Sign me up! Progress be damned! Is it any wonder that the Dutch and Danes both rank in the top 5 of the international "happy citizen index." Americans, sadly, fall far behind their European counterparts in this ranking. I'm not surprised...though I luckily can consider myself to be above average in that department.

In fact, I was talking about this fact earlier tonight - moving to Europe for awhile, say a year or so, to work and immerse yourself in another culture. Sounds fun to me - it's just the logistics of doing something like this in a field like pharmacy, where I'm under the impression that it'd be pretty difficult. Well, who knows what the future will hold, but it sure sounds like something I'd enjoy.

First Day of Rotation #6...Time Flies

Wow - hard to believe I've been at these rotations since last June! I've had some good rotations, and I've had some that were not-so-good, but I think this one - Pediatrics - will fall into the former category. First off, no arriving at 7 am, like my previous hospital rotation. Second, "rounds" are conducted sit-down style, in a conference room in the NICU, where we talk about the little guys and gals that populate our unit. After about 2 hours or so, it's either time for a little teaching time or lunch. In the afternoon, on MWF, I have Pediatrics Clinic, where I'll be rounding with that team, more in an observational mode. There are a few small projects and cases to perform, but pretty much, this should be easy. However, I know very little about Peds, so it will be a great learning tool for me. The downside is how sad it is to walk around these kids - congenital deformities, babies of drug-abusing mothers, and the like. So damn cute, though...

So, already have a phone, or preliminary, interview set up with Cub Foods' Community Practice Residency in St. Louis Park, MN. Talk about putting a big smile on your face! I went and checked out their pharmacy and spoke with the current resident, Marissa, and came away thinking I'd really enjoy a year there. So we'll see what happens. But it's good news so far!

I was dinking around CNN, and came across the story of Katie Piper, an English model who had sulfuric acid thrown into her face by a friend of her ex-boyfriend. It nearly killed her, as it ate away at her throat, and she was put into an induced coma for 10 days. It's now 2 years later, and her face is completely disfigured...looking at before and after pictures is startling and extremely sad. They used an innovative new style of grafting on her to replace all the skin on her face, and used tissue from her buttocks and back. I watched a video of an interview of her, and it was amazing to see her resolve and strength. She talked about her absolute depression in the months following the attack, but has decided to dedicate her life to reaching out to other burn victims, and she's started a foundation to do so. I wish her all the best, and hope the two perpetrators enjoy their years and years of jail time.

In other news, Charles Woodson was named NFL Defensive MVP. I find it kind of funny, even though he had a great season, after the utter sieve of a defense the Pack had against the Cardinals on Sunday. Wasn't really his fault, but it's still ironic. I'm happy for him since he's one of my favorite defensive players, and he's been a great team leader and was instrumental in a lot of success the Pack enjoyed this season, until this past game.

I haven't been to the gym in soooome time, and I think I'm going to head out and work off a little steam over at 24 Hour Fitness in a little while. I received new weightlifting gloves for Xmas and am ready to try them out! Watch out - I WILL finally bench press 300 lbs after years of coming close, then for some reason having a lifting hiatus. In other related news, another goal of mine is to run a half marathon (with Amy) this year, and I suppose it wouldn't hurt to start by running a few miles on the treadmill today, as well.

iPhone is charged, and it's time for me and Pandora to hit the gym. Ciao!

Back hOm-aha

Five weeks - FIVE weeks - I still can't believe my amazing adventure of vacation is over. Some people don't take 5 weeks of vacation in 5 years. I took it consecutively. First off, I feel bad for them - for them, work is life, whether that's completely necessitated by having to work to simply eat or have shelter or not. But for me - jobless, and with five weeks of break from pharmacy school rotations - why not?

Of course - the problem is, slightly, that I really checked out from the world of pharmacy for that time period. Problem is, I should have finished my pharmacy residency applications weeks ago. And I still haven't. No stress = I'm not getting them done. However, tonight the gears have finally clicked, and like I seem to do, I'm getting it done and will have them done on time.

So, after trying to get back to Omaha for a week - I'm finally here. And already missing Minneapolis, of course. I feel as if I'm pretty much checked out of Omaha mentally already, really. Of course, I don't know where I'll be come May - it completely depends on where I get a residency. My hope is to get a residency in Mpls and find a place there during my rotation in Waconia in March-April, but we'll see where the chips may fall.

The best news to come out of the past five weeks stems from the fact that I was able to spend most of that time with Amy. I have never, ever felt like this about anyone, and you can throw any cliche you want at it - and I won't - but I am excited about our future, I will say that. :)

Why the title, you ask? Well, I've more or less been aiming at, or dreaming, of reaching the point of in my life that I'm currently at. It's come with a ton of hard work, a lot of support from friends and mostly family, some very good happenstance and luck, and some decisions full of foresight on my part. I really couldn't ask for anything more at this point - well, of course, there is much more I look forward to accomplishing in my life - but at this very moment, I could not be much happier. As I look forward, of course questions remain for the near future - Will I have a residency come July 1st? If so, where will it be? Will I enjoy it? And if the residency idea doesn't fly and I'm "forced" into finding a community pharmacy job, where will that be?

In altogether honesty, I'm pretty confident about myself being happy, no matter how these questions are eventually answered. I've learned to make the most out of just about any situation I've been thrown into during my life, and I don't intend to change when it comes to that.

In the meantime - I need to finish writing and proofreading my letters so that I can send them in on time, and *hopefully* catch the eye of a few residency directors enough to be invited for interviews. If you've seen Inglourious Basterds, you'll know what I mean when I say "Arrivederci" and good night.

I just finished reading my last post - May 10, 2009. Seven whole months ago. And it's amazing to look back on what's occurred over that time and how my life has changed. First off, about 2 days after that post, Sam dumped me. Yup, more or less out of the blue. I wouldn't say everything was going grand at the time, but I had no idea that bombshell would be dropped out of the air on me. The night I finish my last finals, is the night I get dumped. Tough to deal with at the time, but I have to say how incredibly happy I am that it did...

Because, had Sam not taken that action, I never would have met Amy. And I can't really begin to say how much better I get along with Amy compared to Sam. Not. Even. Close. Do I feel like I've met the woman of my dreams? Absolutely, yes. So there's that.

In fact, as I type this I'm sitting in Amy's apartment in Minneapolis, stranded in Minnesota due to poor road conditions throughout Iowa. This is the 2nd straight day I decided against traveling home to Omaha. Luckily, it just gives me more time with Amy :)

So, recap since May - I had my first 5 rotations, Erin got married and moved in with Mike, I met Amy and subsequently spent many weekends driving to Mpls, or having her drive to Omaha, traveled to Ireland, Las Vegas, and Mexico, and ended up staying an extra 3 days in Mexico and 2 days in Minneapolis due to flight issues/bad weather. I also decided on applying for residencies, and am 2/5 done with finishing them. This weekend or early next week I need to finish my other 3 apps, and send them out. Then, hopefully get a few interview requests, travel to and do those, and then see how the match system plays out. My first choice is Mpls, but I also am applying to the U of Iowa, Luther Midelfort-Eau Claire, and the Asheville NC VA Med center. NC would be nice for a year, eh? Especially considering Amy has repeatedly told me she would move with me if I don't get a residency in MN. :)

Things I'm concerned about - nervous about getting interviews, and how they will go, and possibly having to give a presentation at these interviews; my 7th rotation, which is with Dr Hilleman, a man I am not too sure I will get along with well; figuring out living situations between now and July 1st, should I get a residency; what I'll do if I don't get a residency (where to apply to jobs? are there any left in MN or WI?). So that's what's on my mind. Oh, and passing boards in July.

These stresses, though important, really just highlight where my career has taken me, and that's a good thing. I don't have to worry about food, clothes, shelter, love, friendship, etc. and I'm infinitely lucky in that regard. I'm not sure how I feel about religion ,but if there is a God, I thank Him. But I more or less feel like I was born into a good situation and took advantage of opportunities, and have had some good luck along the way. Really.

What I should be doing at the moment is writing my letters of intent for the last 3 residency apps. But I continue to procrastinate, horribly. This may match my all-time levels of procrastination excellence. I'll get it done, though. I always seem to do so. Plus I just perform better under pressure in these types of situations.

One thing that motivated me to start writing, and to actually stick to it, is how self-aware writing allows you to be. I found myself wanting to write things down continuously in Mexico, but never seemed to have anything to write on. In fact, I've never felt as aware of my surroundings as I did there. It sort of made me want to do some travel writing. That, and I had been reading travel books and travel lit, which likely both helped the cause.

OK, time for lunch at D'Brian's in Edina with Ames. In the afternoon, I intend to wash a few clothes, write letters of intent, and call Rochelle at Cub Foods and Erin to let her know I'm still here for another day!