adventures in hutchinson

Yesterday, I set my alarm to wake me before the sun even thought of rising and hit the asphalt and back country roads to Hutchinson. The weather ended up being perfect for a drive, and not even the piles of paperwork could rain on my sunshiney day.

Today, was another early morning. I think daylight savings is going to save me this weekend. I rounded on patients in the hospital, checked on a patient at hospice house, followed patients in one of the local nursing homes, and then saw patients in clinic during the afternoon. What a full day! I rewarded myself with some warm and cozy rice pudding which I am about to dish into.

I think I will enjoy my time here. Dr. Scheel is very nice and friendly and wants me to tailor this experience to my educational goals which will make it that much better.

chicken pot pie!

After a lovely breakfast of a pumpkin donut from the famous Lamar's I whipped up some comfort food for lunch - chicken pot pie!

Recipe:

• 2 cooked, chopped, chicken breasts (or 1-4lb rotisserie chicken, shredded)
• 10 oz pkg frozen mixed veggies
• 10.75 oz can condensed cream-of-mushroom soup
• 3/4 c. water
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 10-ct tbe of refrigerated biscuits

Heat oven to 400. Combine the chicken, vegetanbles, soup, water, salt, and pepper. Transfer to an oven-safe casserole (or individual ramekins). Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes until bubbly. Remove the foil, cover the filling with the biscuits, and bake until the biscuits are golden brown and cooked through, about 15 minutes.

hello kitty!

made for a friend's daughter-

so you want to be a doctor. . . .

studying hard;)

If you like scary movies. . . . .

Just in time for Halloween!

http://perezhilton.com/2008-10-22-this-actually-looks-good-2

instant internet celebrity

celebrity might be pushing it, but miss elo is a hit on cyberspace:

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=274656.0

a lazy sunday bbq. . . . .

The smell of homemade barbecue is drifting through the house as felipe naps with elo on the couch. Perhaps his growling tummy will wake him from his post-call slumber to partake in some ribs. Served with coleslaw, biscuits, and sweet tea.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sweet-Restaurant-Slaw/Detail.aspx?src=etaf

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Smooth-Sweet-Tea/Detail.aspx

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sylvias-Ribs/Detail.aspx?src=etaf

Now I'm wondering - what's for dessert?

sleeping beauties

Check out my 2 sleeping beauties - one exhausted from a long day saving lives, the other laying claim to "her" blanket. Elo doesn't really like to share.

Made a scrumptious little treat for dinner tonight that we gobbled up before I could snap a picture. The stromboli possibilities are endless: pepperoni, ham & cheese, spinach & mushroom. . .
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pepperoni-Stromboli/Detail.aspx?src=etaf

hot, cold, & undecided

Started at Research Medical Center yesterday - one of the perks is that they have Starbucks coffee in their cafeteria. Yummy! However today, instead of putting my insulated cup under the spout I put my left hand in the scalding stream. Ouch! Luckily Starbucks is not nearly as hot as McD's so I escaped with only minor redness and pain.

As for cold, I broke down and turned on our heat today. I think I could have waited it out longer but I wanted the give our furnace a try before the real cold weather got here. Definitely do not want to be furnace-less when it gets below freezing at night!

So, now that I have a small glimpse into Research and Truman Lakewood I can compare these experiences to the longer experience I had at KU. Definitely am undecided.

• KUMC: Pros - my favorite residents and favorite staff - but is this just because I know them best? Also, it would be pretty sweet to see Felipe around the med center. KU also has the most elective time allowing me to focus on geriatrics. "Easiest" program. Cons- surgery and medicine are both at the Leavenworth VA, almost an HOUR drive. These long drives will take place on the earliest mornings - ugh! KUMC also has the worst reputation of all the programs in town and no one from KU stayed here for their residency last year. Plus, it has the worst salary and meals are only provided if you are on call.
• Research: Pros - best benefits by far. You get a gym, all meals free, and Step 3 is reimbursed. Inpatient is sit rounds rather than walk rounds and are quite efficient. Clinic is moving to a new building next year. The majority of rotations take place at the hospital or clinic minimizing driving cross town. Cons - I hear this is the toughest and most labor-intensive program in town which might not necessarily be a con. It also has a bit of estrogen overload, girls can be quite moody. Their geriatric experience is set up as a continuity experience meaning you go there once a month for 24 months rather than on a daily basic for a month straight, not sure if I will get as good of an experience.
• Lakewood: Pros - nicest facilities. They also have a long-term care building on site and I got along well with the interns. Daily lunch is provided. Cons - no nightfloat. Over double OB months, plus greater than a 30 minute commute each way. No MRI machine, specialists are only on hand once a month.

soup extravaganza!

Yet another hearty soup for fall - I love my immersion blender! This time its a creamy butternut squash bisque spiced up with a bit of cayenne.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Butternut-Squash-Bisque/Detail.aspx?src=etaf

ps. I'm such a girl sometimes, but I think I'm done obsessing about my weight for a bit.

my latest knitting accomplishment

a blueberry baby sweater!

4 lbs

Somehow in the past week I have gained a whopping 4 pounds. Ugh! I haven't weighed this much since I was a coed! Sigh. I've come up with about a million reasons to explain the extra poundage:

1. Muscle weighs more than fat - I have been lifting weights with Gilad on FitTv lately
2. My metabolism is finally catching up to me
3. Elo didn't want to be the only one dieting so she snuck me some extra calories when I was sleeping
4. Felipe's chips, dip, candy, & bacon habit has finally rubbed off on me
5. The scale was broken

Nonetheless, check out the special pie I made cooling on the windowsill:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mock-Coconut-Pie-Spaghetti-Squash-Pie/Detail.aspx?src=etaf

a warm and creamy soup for a cold and dreary day

Felipe: "Mmmm, smells just like a Colombian kitchen."

Me: "It is a Colombian kitchen:)"

Asparagus, celery, potatoes, and onions blended with chicken broth to make a hearty soup.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cream-of-Asparagus-Soup-I/Detail.aspx

Interview tally

1. KUMC
2. AHEC - Arkansas
3. UMKC - Truman Lakewood

Happy Birthday!

I would like to wish Fernando a very Happy Birthday today! Thank you for sharing your birthday dinner with me - the soup and cake felipe brought home was delicious!

He also brought home some ripe bananas for banana muffins (secret ingredient, 1 Tbsp strong coffee!) http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/004229banana_nut_muffins.php

Just have to survive this week - 2 early mornings and long days of Labor & Delivery followed by 2 days of gyn clinic. If I do survive I will be rewarded with a visit from my family this weekend!

school lunch

Today was Felipe's first "pigs in a blanket." Really easy recipe that uses bisquick: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pigs-in-Blankets/Detail.aspx

Check out Miss Elo enjoying the afternoon sun:

1 week down, 1 to go

Just finished up my first week at Truman-Lakewood. 2 days of inpatient, 2 days of geriatrics, and one day of urgent care clinic. Here are my thoughts:

• Inpatient has earlier mornings at Truman: point KU


• Lakewood has their own long-term care center for geriatrics: point Truman


• Clinic is a toss-up - I like the charting program better at KU, but maybe that is just because I know it better


• Free lunch at Lakewood, but this doesn't translate into a point because they have a daily noon lecture. Educational opportunity at the expense of free time. Not that you get a whole free lunch hour at KU, but you can usually squeeze in 10 minutes to yourself which I find to be immensely important to my mental health


• KU is a 10 minute drive, versus 30 to Truman: point KU


• I have an interview scheduled at KU, am still waiting to hear from Truman: point KU

So right now, KU is winning the residency race but its not over yet.

Just finished up my first knitting project for Felipe - a nice little cozy for his new garmin.