January 28, 2011

running

I know I prepped you slightly about my obligate running.  its that part of the marriage contract down in the fine print on the bottom.  at least on ours.  we had a friend at a camp we used to work at in Maine talk about his testimony using a marathon he had run recently as a recurring example.  my wife got inspired.  i got tired.  somehow i agreed to run the houston marathon with her as our first.  a good course, nice and flat.  (a lot of you will appreciate that this weekend when your fulfilling your contract in houston).  afterwards, i thought to myself - whew, did that for the wife and now i can cross that off my list of life goals.  1 week later i get an email in my inbox - "congratulations on your registration for the austin half marathon" - i guess at least it was only a half. not like the marathon we did the year after that - after a certain point (mile 20, more specifically) my calves like to go into superspasm - they literally fibrillate (think of a big bag of worms creeping and crawling)  i walked backwards the last 4 miles on the last one. and popped pills from a stranger because he said it would help. (i figured they had to be good, since the race was in California)  it was easy to spot the 6ft5 undertrained guy.

-its not that i don't enjoy running - its just that i really don't enjoy running

-so now, as i alluded to in a prior post, "santa" signed us both conveniently up for a local 10K.  its interesting, don't you think, that his bowl full of jelly and rosy cheeks couldn't do 10K.  why do i have to?   i know, i know, quit your whining- its only a 10K.  but its not really about that - its about the process

-we now live in the foothills - and my feet and these hills don't get along- up and down.  i prefer the flat island i grew up on- at least for running that is.  a simple 4 miles ain't the same with the "simple roll" of the hills - we have one large hill on our normal route that has been dubbed the "big nasty" -its only like 25% incline, but brutal nonetheless.  i'm not sure where the nasty comes in, but you get the picture

-the other thing in our neighborhood has got these super caved out gutters.  you know that kind that seems like the construction crew carved out of the earth.  a deep chasm were the road gives away steeply into the abyss of the underground.  it might swallow you, small children, and definately any animal under 40 pounds if you get too close.  i almost fell in the other week when it was icy after our snowstorm.  i started wearing my ring on the band of my watch in case i get sucked down one - maybe they'll take pity and try and find a wife to send my battered body to

-now that we have kids - forget about running with them.  ever pushed a 15 pound stroller with a 2 year old and a 10 month old up and down the rolling hills - brutal.  especially when they throw out their passies, juice cups - an onslaught of goldfish to the eye, a giraffe careening for the bottomless gutter and cinderella thrown at the neighborhood dog.  forget it.  we take turns now and run seperate.
-then there's the music - we share an ipod - i should probably get my own, but we share the music.  my wife's serious about the music - if she can't find it or the battery is dead, she won't go.  and the playlist.  lets just say we have a little give and take - she prefers a long line of hillsong, 80s cheese christian music and godspell - now i reallly like hillsong most of the time, but i have a hard time getting motivated to "put a pebble in my shoe" or "by my side" as i trot alone up the "big nasty".  i'm a little more rockin with some beats - moby or black eyed peas -my wife was telling me she does like to run to the one moby song that's the theme music from the jason bourne series - she like to pretend she's angelina jolie bolting down the street as an undercover agent of some kind - you know, normal undercover agent stuff like running in broad daylight with reflective clothing 
-there's also this preponderence of songs talking about going home or moving on her list for some reason - "i'm going home to the place where i belong", "take me home country roads" (not really sure how that got on there), "dare you to move" (i'm going already), and my favorie motivating moby - 'run on' that goes like this "you might run on for a long time - run more, dunkin and dodging, run on children for a long time..." - let just say it certainly feels that way = especially since it repeats this line over and over - but its at a good rhythm that keeps me moving up the big nasty.

-the joys of marital obligations

January 24, 2011

names in the ED

I've thought about this often and thought it would make an interesting post.  people are crazy.  i've been  compiling a list of peoples actual names that have wandered their way in the ED over the last few years with some appropriate pronunciation guides as needed to help you out.  this list will help to show you how normal you really are:

Jhailey (JAHALEE)- that's right, hailey with J

Paislee (PAIZLEE) - just seemed odd to me, who wants to be named after a funny squiggle

Qiana (KEYANA) - no pithy comment - just strange

Lacoya (LACOYA) - sounds like something in the arizonan desert

Clerndon - he was only 18yrs old.  but fit the picture - rebel barbed wire tattoo.  did I mention I work in the south?

De'Mya Re'Dreen - that was just her first name (not middle or last) and I didn't ask how to pronounce it with all those apostrophes (which in the south are called - "comma to the top")

Dat - he was asian - but reminded me of that song - "like dis and like dat and like dis and a"

Dorcas (DOORKAS) - Biblical yes - current and relevant no - there might be a root name i'm missing here

Flolita - not aunt flo or lolita - a skewed mixture of both

Prince - not the symbol

Princess - oh yes, she was

Babygirl - so in case you didn't know, all kids are named babygirl(boy) on delivery with your last name - and if you never change it (or grow to like it) you end up with it

Candida - not a flower

Gonorrhea - also not a flower, i guess she could go by rhea for short (of course that has its own problems)

Moose - yes, oh yes

Armani - her sister's name you ask?  Chanel

Sexy - someone was definately high - not a nickname

Female (FUMALEE) - thankfully is was a girl - just an uncreative mother

Abcd (ABEECEEDEE) - that right, the first 4 letters of the alphabet.  that's pretty lazy.  at least she has a vowel in there so people don't think she's foreign.  the better part is that if you say it really fast it sounds like your saying "obesity" - which would be an appropriate term in this case

and two of my personal favorites were twins in the nursery when I was in med school:
Lemonjello & Orangejello - sucks to be them - good thing there wasn't pudding on the hospital menu

January 22, 2011

email sigs

email signatures aren't a strange thing - most of the time. 
most people have fairly simple sigs - you know - name, maybe their title at the company, etc.
some people find it a chance to display their over-wowing prowess and great accomplishments
i recently got a sig like this attatched to an email:

M***  B****, BS, BSN, MSN, CDE
Director of *********
Asst Director to  *********
Division of *********
Department of ******
work address
city, state, zip
work number
home number
work email
home email
work website
If this communication involves discussion of patient care issues in the performance improvement process, it is protected from discovery by **** Evidence Code 1157 as a confidential medical staff communication.

-i was looking for the name of her firstborn child as well - it has enough information on there that i don't think we'll have to ask for her resume if she's looking for a job. --i'm not really sure what a CDE is either - i'm pretty sure that one's made up.  also, if you've got a higher degree, why list your bachelors?  seriously, if you've got a masters i think you've proven that you've moved on.  plus, who wants to write the letters BS after your name.  maybe it is BS - i'm pretty sure my degree in microbiology was BS - hardly remember a thing.

-last year when i was doing my fellowship i sometimes made up this fake sig that i would write out to look important.  it said my name with one set of letters, such and such -- (big university name, etc)  i really only did it if i wanted a response quickly.  it seems like people write back faster if you appear to be important.  maybe that's why people put all those letters and such after their names

-another email i used to get commonly from one of the administrators always had this on the bottom with her sig:
P please consider the environment before printing this email

can you remember the last time you printed an email?  i'm pretty sure i haven't in at least 5 years.  i guess if it had directions on it?  (just punch it into your phone - it'd be faster)  i think i'm now considering the environment - DELETE  or better yet "hide all gertrude"

-maybe the best was one i got yesterday from work. this little beauty appeared after her qualifications and address:

Integrity....it's what you do when no one's looking.

I'm not really sure what elmo has anything to do with integrity.  anyone who's nick name is "tickle me" quickly loses all notions of credibility.  and is he at a disco?  maybe integrity is just 'stayin alive'

January 20, 2011

Facebook

So, everyone's on FB.  me too - but a little sneakily.  somehow i convinced my wife that we should just share an account long ago before it exploded into the sweetness that it is now.  i actually really like FB - i probably check it more times a day than my wife.  of course the accounts in her name - well our name, but she's listed first. and all the info is about her.  it kinda works in our favor - less creepy people from out past can find us easily.  i know, i know, we don't have to be their friends. i just don't even want them looking for me - or her for that matter. 

-i like the anonymity between us having a joint named account- people aren't sure who's posting.  its kinda this married person guessing game. like those ambiguous posts that say "wow, i look hot in pink" or "he looks jewish in those tights" to keep people guessing who it is.  it creates humor for us - and definately others.

-FB also ushered the christmas card let down.  we got like 25 cards this year - actually a record for us.  but definately every picture we had already seen on FB.  we were guilty too.  stupid cute kids - overtaken again.  good thing i know where they sleep - or in our case wake up (like every hour - no seriously)

-i also kinda don't like that you can see who's online all the time.  there's definately people i'm friends with that i surely don't want to chat with in real time.  you know that feeling when joe blow chats with you and you stare at that pop up box.  "oh, i'm not here.  i definately just stepped away from the computer."  (online status- active)  sorry peeps - we don't really like all of you.  you know what i'm talking about.  that person probably from your hometown who asked you 3 times to be friends before you finally accepted.  and then you did the polite thing and clicked "hide all gertrude" posts on the news feed.  you know who you are. one word of advice.  don't unfriend them - that comes back to bite you.  nothing like having someone to re-request to be your friend when they thought they were. (sometimes twice) hello face - apply egg. 

-i think they ought to do a new addition to FB.  a dislike button.  there's a like button.  and i know the like button is for us lazy people who don't want to say "congratulations!" again in a more creative way than the last 23 people congratulating you on your newborn child.  but i need a dislike button when someone updates their status about a dead pet or something.  or when some of my left-winger friends post happy agenda propaganda.  DISLIKE - you could see it would be useful.  or when one of those half-friends posts that he's not sure if his girlfriends baby is really his.  it deserves a dislike.  or a "hide all gertrude" moment.  whichever works. 

-i also think you should be able to disable the "like" button for certain posts.  i sometimes get a little nervous i'm gonna click "like" on accident next to "we found out today furrball has cancer and had to put her down"  - i guess if i did i could say my wife did it

toon

i take no credit for any cartoon - all swiped and probably copyrighted.  but i make no money on it.  but i find a bunch of hilarious ones to share

January 19, 2011

Tangents - First Post

So I'm finally slightly giving in. My wife's been pushing me to do a blog - I'm still not really sure why. I'm not really the blogging type. I'm a little more of the drop-the-one-liner type. She said that's why I should blog. She also said because I'm funny. Not sure that qualifies me either. I do kinda have a random stream of consciousness (but probably not a conscious)

Maybe its her lack of blog posts. She started a blog about our family (ellispartyof5.blogspot.com) and is lucky to get one or 2 posts a month up. Don't get me wrong - she plenty busy otherwise - 2 kids under 3. I'm surprised she has time to go to the bathroom during the day.

We do follow a few blogs online of some friends - they definately strike me as entertaining. well some of them - a lady i used to work with had a blog about 2 yorkies i can't say i frequently visit (or even twice). the wife thinks i'm entertaining - hence me starting this blog.

So what is this blog about? Tangents I guess - so goes the title. I have a lot of weird tangents and things that seem to constantly run through my head - not like females with that over analytical stent on every detail of how her boot color clashes with her eyelashes - more like weird funny stuff. not so funny stuff too. my wife thinks i should talk about the everyday - since in our lives usually that's pretty funny in itself. and things i'm into. so i guess that's what it'll be about - stuff i'm into - so it'll be a little random - work, family, hobbies, stupid cartoons, a smorgasbord of randomness ( I like words like smorgasbord - but probably won't get featured as work of the day on Pee Wee's playhouse)

To start, I guess I'll talk a little bit about me to set the stage some. which means this might be the most boring post i do - tough - I'm sarcastic - not sure if that really comes out in my writing. i guess if you know me, you'll hear my tone. if you're offended - you probably missed the sarcasm. if your confused, yea - then too

-we just moved to the southeast about 6 months ago - 2 cross country moves in less than a year. Its tough getting to a new place - tough to make friends, tough finding the right church - i guess that's why i'm blogging - no local friends. so maybe i'll find some online friends - in reality, probably people I already know that feel bad for me. or creeps.

-i'm not big on punctuation, capital letters or complete sentences. i kinda like how the "i" looks all by itself - in case you couldn't tell. people don't talk in complete sentences. blogs shouldn't have to be. its not that i don't how or where to punch it in - just prefer not to. like how i just ended that last sentence with a preposition. my english minor sister would gasp.

-i'm a husband - i married a girl i met in junior high (when we were both in junior high - sick) aww, that's sweet you say. I always would tell people that I couldn't get rid of her, so I had to marry her. she hates it when I say that. Her name is Sarah - no namelessness here - we used to follow this blog where the guy tried to stay anonymous and write about his wife and kids calling the "she" and "girl #1" or fake names like "mona." no thanks. it was a little to weird - plus we all knew who he was talkling about - i think he's really in the FBI or CIA or something though. oops. was that a secret?

-I'm a dad - 2 great kids (so far - lets just say i've talked her down from 6 successfully) - "mona" is a girl - j/k - Taylor is my oldest - almost 2 1/2. smart as a whip (but aren't everyone's kids smart when they're yours) and a super repeater - its changed our vocabulary some. not like we cuss or scream expletives or anything - just things you don't want your 2 year old to say in public - you know like "shh. daddy's watching the bachelor" - and my now 9 1/2 month old that i just pulled a AAA battery out of his mouth - much sweeter than "mona" - definately with his own personality and way into speed crawling - especially when it involves eating dog food - which i'm sure he's done - and maybe now as i type. so i'm sure some posts about my kiddos

-I'm an ED doc up the road in a smaller city (a more country town- kinda a more fingers than teeth kinda place - but sometimes normal folks, too). lots of my crazy stories and randomness might come form this. most people that walk/wheel into the ED are a little off their rocker to begin with. and the workers are too. you have at least one screw partially loose to work there. the specialty attracts us, i guess. Like the lady night before last who told me her new tattoo hurts. i asked her if they repetitively poked her with a needle to do it. she said yes.

-I'm a Christian. still looking for a church in our new town. we've probably tried 15 and haven't found the right fit yet. we're somewhere between the laser light show and animal sacrifices. still hunting. some posts will be about my devotions and spiritual matters. hopefully they won't all end up like this:
-I love the outdoors - did a whole fellowship in wilderness medicine out in california last year - went ridiculously more into debt for it. i think sarah's still mad about that. we do love to camp, hike, backpack, mountain bike (despite the current 2 flat tires), and climb. not that we've done much of that since we had kids. but some posts might be about the outdoors or wilderness medicine.

-I like photography. somehow i convinced my wife to let me buy a super expensive camera before our first child was born - i said to document her life - secretly i needed an excuse - and hoped i could push off the olan mills style family portraits which aren't cheap. and who wants a guy named olan on your picture anyway. so you might see some photography.

-I'm an obligate runner - you know like away from bears, wolverines, ligers - or when my wife signs me up for races. at least its only a 10K this time. i think santa was trying to say something when he brought me running shoes, running socks, running shorts and entered me into a 10K. we've done some marathons in the past - another marital obligation - she loves to run - i just don't like being overweight. kids do that to you - gained 35 pounds since our first child - you know, pregnancy sympathy weight. all those runs out to McD when she craved nuggets.  none of that now that she's put me on the "new year's diet" - more on that later.

so that's a starting point. i think i'll stop there for now. hope the tangents didn't overtake you