Ganymede is two today. Two kitty years old. I gave him new treats, and he doesn't know it yet, but he has many new toys. I've only given him one, because if you give him multiple toys at once it confuses him. Right now, he is trying to maximize his surface area on the floor because it is wickedly hot and humid, and he is covered with fur. I'm ( Read more... )

I think it's probably a problem that in tumor board this morning I heard a patient presented as having "good debulking, negative pelvic and periaortic nodes, and Herceptin responsive tumor," and thought, "Wow, she's lucky." Because, no, no, she is not. She is just not as unlucky as many of the other patients who get presented in tumor board ( Read more... )

I currently have this constant level of anxiety that my five mile run at the gym did nothing for. Which is saying a lot. I'm not great about going to the gym, but when I do go, by mile four pretty much anything I'm holding in my shoulder muscles or lower back muscles or stomach or throat melts away. And since I'm super out of shape right now, it ( Read more... )

Right now I have two lovely things in the fridge waiting for their completion. 1) Flourless chocolate chile fig cake that is sitting in a springform pan waiting to be unmolded, dusted with cinnamon-sugar and garnished with whipped cream. 2) Roasted yam, mushroom, spinach enchiladas with roasted poblano waiting to be put in the oven, basted with ( Read more... )

So, last Sunday I turned 23. It was the best birthday in ages, in part because most of my Cleveland friends were still in town, and in part because I'm with a wonderful man who planned a lovely day for me. We went to the zoo and saw lorises and lemurs and other cute and impressive things. And then dinner in Euclid (right down the road from where ( Read more... )

Have been a challenge. There have been some high points: seeing people in Northfield, getting home, seeing Brandon, Ganymede, Cleveland friends. But there have been significantly more low points. Many challenges with my family. They are of the sort that will probably work themselves out, mostly by me lowering my expectations and turning to ( Read more... )

With additons from Beth and rearrangement of things of mine, the sunroom now has two desks, a futon, lamps, a bookcase, and lots of plants. I'm not done rearranging, but, already, it is so much more welcoming. This place is finally, for the first time, feeling like a home.

And now I'm going to go read in the sunroom. With the kitty.

I'm scared of summer. It starts in three days (last exam of year one of medical school: 8 a.m., Friday, 5/26), and I don't know if I'm ready. I've put so many expectations on what this summer will be, and I don't know if I'm ready to see if they were realistic or not. Somehow, this summer, I want to do real, significant research; work on my ( Read more... )

It's official: I'm going to make it to graduation. I'll either get down to Northfield the 8th or the 9th. Yay! This means, I'm about to hit up Dana and Jenny for a couch to sleep on. Hey, Dana and Jenny, wanna let me sleep on your couch? Or floor? Or something? If not, Rachel, you know who I'm coming to next...

Can't wait to see y'all!

Arrrggh...I absolutely should be sleeping or studying. Musculoskeletal Integument exam tomorrow (which means diseases of skin, joints, and bone for those of us who don't speak Case Med), and I'm not as on top of things as I wish. Skin is gross (no, seriously....we're not talking acne and Botox dermatology here...we're talking neurofibromatosis ( Read more... )