The Ice Storm Cometh

Just when I was crawling out from under that rock of illness, I was slammed back down... um, under the rock... by a sinus infection on top of my still lingering virus. Stupid germs!

We are surviving around here, but I feel like we're hanging on by a thread. Patrick is working nights, Colin is waging a daily morning war against wearing pants (which I totally get, but sometimes society wins, kid. It's a tough lesson.) and I cannot sleep for all the coughing going on in my body. My house is a mess, my brain isn't really functioning, and we're due for the Icepocalypse any moment. I just don't know how much more of this Life things I can take.

On the good side, I finished up Infectious Disease today. It actually ended up being a great month and I learned a ton. I wasn't the shining star, but that, in itself, was a good lesson. (I guess, grumble grumble.) This evening, before coming home, my attending gave me feedback for the few weeks she worked with me. It was all good and positive, which was nice, but my favorite thing she said was, "You've got enough personality to fill the room. I loved working with you because of that."

Win!

I wrote over at Medscape again tonight, this time giving a sensationalized overview of the match. Dear God, I hope it doesn't generate the same kind of comments the last one did. In the last post, I used the concept of the long white coat as a metaphor for moving up the proverbial ladder. It, unfortunately, prompted a whole debate about white coats in general. Alternatively, people told me I was focused on the wrong thing, that idolizing my seniors was bad and I should focus on the patient. Obviously, those readers are accustomed to reading scientific journals with little to no sarcasm or greater meaning embedded in their text. I think I overshot. This post, which is still sarcastic and hopefully a little funny, is less lofty and more self-depricating. (Although I got dinged for that, too.)

Clearly, I am spoiled here with such lovely people as you, which leaves me vulnerable to the off-the-wall comments that the rest of the world deals with all the time. I'll soon be hardened and cynical, maybe having picked up a chain smoking and hard liquor habit, and growl at the comments as they roll in. For now, I kind of want to hide under the covers.

While I am super excited to start my next rotation, I am nothing but relieved that my day tomorrow was canceled in light of the impending doom of ice. Colin and I are planning a day full of jammies, Pixar, and chocolate milk. Ice storm, thanks for the day off!