Radio Talk Shows & Coffee Shops

This morning, Mark and I drove down at 5 am back to UVA from NoVA. I drove his car since he had just arrived from Jersey, still in his suit from the wedding he was getting back from. While he slept, I listened to the Cane show, which I love on 99.5. The highlight was an email sent to Cane:
"This weekend, the craziest thing happened to me. I fell asleep talking to my girlfriend at night. Apparently she called me back a couple times and texted me, but I was asleep so I didnt answer. She also called my land line but again, I didn't answer because I was totally asleep. SO...she figured I must've freakin' died and I woke up to two police cars, an ambulance and a fire engine!!!!! Please share this on your morning talk show tomorrow. Clara, I love you but really....calm down!!!" So Cane responds: SO TRUE. Why do women always think that something DEVASTATING must've happened if we dont' respond to calls or texts? Don't they realize we might be in the bathroom, asleep or in a meeting??? hahhahah I thought this was so hilarious because I definitely always think the worse when my calls go unreturned. Except now I know.....he is MOST LIKELY in a really long surgery...so I'll wait...patiently.

On a completely different note, I love Para Coffee. Not only did their coffee taste great and keep me from falling asleep, but some of the overheard conversations are really great. Most notably, an older guy with both ears pierced telling a new-made friend that he was just an empty vessel, trying to do the will of our Lord. :) Thank you for the inspiration, John.

No More Laughing Yoga for Me...

Today, a few friends and I tried out a "happy hour" drop-in class called Laughing Yoga. It was one of the most bizarre experiences I've ever had...it was like the amusement park WonderLand in Dhaka but for 45 minutes instead of a 5 minute ride. We spent the whole class playing "laughing games", basically laughing while pretending to mow the lawn, see a long-lost friend or being a fish....omg. Why didn't I leave as soon as she said, "At the end of each laughing game, we'll say a cheer: Very good...very good..YAYYYY!"?

I think I'll stick to Zumba....

A Whole New World

Today I had my first full history & physical with a REAL patient...wooooow. :)

So besides the fact that my patient vomitted a quart of blood and peed bright red blood and was experiencing the worst pain of her life, I learned today that patients are a little different from the "med school crowd". How so? My patient was a 36 year old, mother to a 20 year old and grandmother to a newborn. She's currently engaged to be wed in June. She has the father of her 20 year old child's name tattooed in the classic heart shape on the front of her chest near her shoulder.

I tried not to act the least bit surprised when she told me all this. And she was not uncomfortable at all telling me anything. That made me realize that this is the norm for her. I experienced this similar "you are different from me" revelation when I volunteered at a local community center last year helping elementary school kids with their homework--half-siblings were the norm.

It is quite sad to see the demise of the traditional family in the West. What is even more disturbing is that it seems to be in lower-classes more often than the upper classes. I haven't researched this obviously to see if that is a statistical reality or if it's just my limited impression. Hmm.....