Misadventures and Mishaps

Love and hate

noreply@blogger.com (YennieT) — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 06:07:00 +0000

As many of you may (or may not) know, I have been on a series of first
dates in the last two years. Lots of them. Good and bad
(unfortunately more that have been spectacularly bad rather than good).
Today, I was talking to a friend of mine, talking about dating and how
I don't know how I feel about someone I went out with. She asks, "Do
you like him or do you just not hate him?". And to tell you the truth,
I couldn't answer the question.
Looking back on some people I have dated or gone out on dates with,
perhaps I actually didn't like the person (in the sense that I get
thoroughly excited at the prospect of them calling), but rather I
didn't hate them. That just sounds terrible, I know.
What is the reason I sometimes cannot tell how I feel about someone?
Is this normal? Do I sell myslf short by just going out with people I
don't hate instead of waiting and finding someone I genuinely like?
These are questions that I ask myself a lot (I think to myself a lot).
Just thought I would put it out there as food for thought because I
have genuis friends who can cut through niceties and ask though
provoking questions like that at 11 pm when I am post call and throw
me in a tizzy.

Just overheard

noreply@blogger.com (YennieT) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 18:45:00 +0000

Boy: "When I went to India..."
Girl: "I have always wanted to go to India. Did you go to the hotel in
Dubai?"

Someone needs to a good world map.

Drug-food interactions

noreply@blogger.com (YennieT) — Wed, 19 May 2010 05:23:00 +0000

Is it bad to wash down some Aleve with a swig of beer? It just seems wrong. Oh well.

Somewhere out there

noreply@blogger.com (YennieT) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 04:39:00 +0000

For those of you who know me and my habits, you'll know that I love This American Life. Now, this is an old episode, but I was thinking about it a lot in the last few months. I actually heard this episode last year, but it struck a cord this year, mostly because one of my friends from med school said to me, "Yen, you should listen to last week's episode of This American Life. I think you'd relate to it." Now, this is a med school friend that I called to say congratulations on getting engaged and finding that someone out there for you.

So, alas, I listen to the episode and then start feeling really depressed.

Basically, here's how it (the first story) goes. A group of PhD students in Boston, who are girlfriend-less, start thinking about their odds of finding the one. They start out with the population of Boston and start whittling down the possibilities. Has to be female. Has to be between __ and __ years old. Has a college degree. And it goes on. End they end up with very sad odds of finding a girlfriend. That's not even taking into consideration looks, chemistry, whether they like to wear high heels or sneakers. But that's not the sad part. The sad part is when they do the same exercise for one of their professors, a single woman with a PhD... and her odds are nil.

Seriously, I'm starting to feel like that. That's why I have given up, for the time being. Don't worry, faithful reader(s). That doesn't mean I won't have stories (I have a few from the last few months that I've been itching to share).

Spring has sprung

noreply@blogger.com (YennieT) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 03:50:00 +0000

And the bunches of ranunculus that I bought at the farmer's market make me happier just by being there.

I am back. My prolonged absence can be blamed on the hell that is known as second year of residency (I was forewarned by a former chief). Lots to talk about and hopefully I will be able to post more regularly soon.

Tiny updates:

Gardening again. My lemon tree has little lemons, which taste like lemons dipped in sugar. Yum. I planted seeds for cilantro, thyme, basil, chives, oregano, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, and zinnia. The herbs are slow going, but the peas are going like gangbusters. The zinnia, I'm especially excited about to have cut flowers during the summer.
Still dating, but about to give it up and become a nun. I think I might have better luck finding God than finding a good man.
I'm still a resident, for better or for worse. Almost halfway done. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but that tunnel sure is long and dark and that light is really dim.
Made a few new crafts and tried my hand at making a mobile, which turned out really well.
Took a trip to Hawaii and planning another one to DC.
Healthcare reform passed. Impressive on one hand, not so much on the other hand.

That's it for now, I suppose. More later.

I love PBS

noreply@blogger.com (YennieT) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 05:34:00 +0000

Since I depend on an antenna for my television channels (I know, I know, I live in the Stone Age), I have come to love PBS. I love the Saturday morning cooking shows for hours on end. I love the Saturday night cinema with classic movies. I love that I'm watching a documentary on cuttlefish on NOVA and am completely fascinated. Enthralled.

No, I'm not sitting at home on a Saturday night just watching public television.... I'm not that sad (yet). I'm just waiting until the "appropriately late" time to arrive at a bar to get drinks with a friend.

Wanted: recipe

noreply@blogger.com (YennieT) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 02:15:00 +0000

I had brunch at Elite Cafe in San Francisco's Fillmore district over the weekend and I nearly died and went to heaven after tasting the meetinghouse biscuits.

Now, I must have that recipe. I need it.

best quote ever

noreply@blogger.com (YennieT) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:21:00 +0000

Over a pre-Thanksgiving dinner:

Aunt
Joey, do you know what cousin Yen does for her job? She delivers babies.

Joey (9 years old)
[looks a little puzzled, cocks his head to the side]
In a box?

Yen
[looks a little puzzled, cocks her head to the side, and bursts out laughing]
Yeah, just like the mailman.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Strange maladies

noreply@blogger.com (YennieT) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:27:00 +0000

So, breaking out in hives several times a week for several months now has not been fun. Let me rephrase that. It's been hell. I finally gave in and made an appointment with an allergist, which was both helpful and not.

The allergist, who was very nice, and her nurse, who was just as nice, both kindly explained to me that I was there to answer a bunch of questions and have some (as in ten tubes full) blood work, and, in the end, they may never find out why I am breaking out in hives and that I will still need my antihistamines.

I guess I should know by now that medicine is not the cure all that everyone thinks it should be. But I have to admit that I hope that after ten tubes of blood testing for everything from kidney disease to lupus to thyroid dysfunction to allergies to everything from nuts to latex to plums and everything in between, that they would find something. So far, all they've found is that I'm deficient in Vitamin D. I could have told you that... no milk + no sun = Vitamin D deficiency. Duh. Somehow, I don't think that Vitamin D deficiency --> hives.... unless I slept through that lecture in medical school (which is a good possibility).

Oh well, until the day I can be off of Atarax or Benadryl, I will take my Vitamin D supplements.

Late night projects

noreply@blogger.com (YennieT) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 09:23:00 +0000

Why is it that I decide to reface a clock at midnight?! And that explains why I'm still up an hour and a half later and why I am so grumpy in the mornings. At least I don't have work tomorrow. Yay!

Hmm...

noreply@blogger.com (YennieT) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:43:00 +0000

I saw pictures of my a cruise trip my aunt and uncle took and my 5 year-old cousin is wearing a surgical mask in all his pictures because he was afraid of catching the flu. At first, I thought it was hilarious. After further thought, I think he may be onto something.

Catching up on sleep

noreply@blogger.com (YennieT) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:05:00 +0000

So you know, I don't get much sleep. I was really good my intern year, where I went to bed religiously at around 9, sometimes 10, so that I could at least get 7 hours of sleep. Now, I'm lucky if I get 7 and it's more like 6 hours. Granted, I feel like I'm doing well, but it's always bad news when someone tells you that you can't really catch up on sleep. I mean, am I destined to be cognitively slower for the next 2 years and 8 months AND for however long it takes me to recover from being sleep deprived. I mean, really, who can "bank" 10 hours of sleep a night?

This is my favorite quote from the article:
"The scientists found that the "recovery" sleep did not fully reverse declines in performance on a test of reaction times and other psychomotor tasks, especially for subjects who had been forced to sleep only three or five hours a night."

What does that say when you sleep zero hours a night, like last night?

Contagion

noreply@blogger.com (YennieT) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:39:00 +0000

I got my H1N1 vaccine last week... really, I was secretly hoping that I would get H1N1 before I got the vaccine because it would mean a mandatory time off until I was asymptomatic. And yes, residency is bad enough that I would rather have the flu than come into work. I have dreams of being forced to stay at home and sleep.

Calling home

noreply@blogger.com (YennieT) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:37:00 +0000

Today, I went to the farmer's market and was so excited to be enjoying the beautiful weather and to get there early enough to get some beautiful orchids (albeit, I was post-call, but that's another issue altogether). However, in the excitement of picking through broccoli rabe or no name pluots, I somehow lost my phone. For a moment, I was delighted because it meant that I could finally get a new phone... then it hit me that I would somehow need to get everyone's phone number again. EVERYONE'S PHONE NUMBER. The anxiety hit me and I walked around the farmer's market, asking the vendors from which I had bought produce if they saw a phone. No luck.

Long story short, a woman found it and when my friend called my phone for me, she answered and said she would leave it at Starbucks. I am now reunited with my phone. And delighted. But I will still get a new phone.

Oatmeal cookies

noreply@blogger.com (YennieT) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 03:07:00 +0000

I love oatmeal cookies. Love. I don't even like cookies very much, but I love oatmeal cookies. Leave it to me to have a favorite cookie that is made of oatmeal, I mean, how old and boring can I get before I reach 30?

So, I finally gave in and bought oatmeal to make oatmeal cookies (I have never bought oatmeal before - I love oatmeal cookies, but loathe actual oatmeal) and a free issue of Cooks Illustrated came with the recipe for the perfect oatmeal cookies.

A side note on Cooks Illustrated and America's Test Kitchen. I'm in love with them. Love. If anyone out there wants to get me a birthday, Christmas, or everyday gift, get me a subscription to that magazine. It's the perfect thing to satisfy the nerd and cook in me. They test and retest all their recipes until they find the "perfect" whatever-it-may-be.

Needless to say, I was excited to try their oatmeal cookie recipe. Alas, I did make some changes to it (they called for lots more chocolate chips than I would like and I omitted the nuts since I thought two additions to my beloved oatmeal cookies would be enough).

Here's the recipe:

Perfect Oatmeal Cookies
(adapted from Cooks Illustrated)

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats (I used baby oats, if you can find them)
1 cup dried cranberries (their recipe called for sour cherries)
3/4 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet (depending on whether you like sweet or not) chocolate chunks (or chips)
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened but not soft
1 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
In another medium bowl, mix oats, cranberries, and chocolate
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until combined, about a minute.
Add egg and vanilla, beat on medium-low until combined.
Add flour mixture a little at a time, mix until combined at low speed.
Gradually add oat/cranberry/chocolate mixture until incorporated.
Use a spatula to make sure all flour is incorporated. Be careful, the mixture will be thick, so use a sturdy spatula (I broke mine in the process of making these cookies).
Roll the flour into 2 inch balls, press into 1inch thick and place onto cookie sheet.
Bake for 12 minutes, then rotate pan front to back to ensure even cooking. Bake for another 8-10 minutes.
Cookies are done when the edges are brown and the middle is soft. They will look undercooked. Take them out now. Otherwise, you end up with hard, inedible cookies and no one likes that.

Enjoy!

Birdies

noreply@blogger.com (YennieT) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 02:44:00 +0000

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am obsessed with birds. Not the actual animal (I actually can't stand birds as pets), but more bird motifs. My daily bag has birds on it. . My daily necklace has a bird. There are little birds all over my apartment. But no real birds allowed. Alas, no one told that to the bird that decided to pay my apartment a visit and leave its mark on my scrabble box. I have no idea how long this bird has been in my apartment, all I know is that I just noticed it (and it's possible that it's been there for at least a few hours).

After screaming little "eeks!" to myself, I gently guided the bird to the door (not without it hitting the mirrored closet doors once or twice, though).

argh!

noreply@blogger.com (YennieT) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 04:16:00 +0000

So, my neighbor is oh so wonderful and plays World of Warcraft on his computer day and night. I could care less about what my neighbor does in his free time (which apparently is any time of day). However, what I care about deeply is my sleep. And my sleep gets interrupted and delayed because of sounds of grenades and tanks and guns. Ah, yes, the exact sounds I want to hear when I fall asleep.

Being the nice person that I am, I go and knock on his door, thinking I'm going to nicely tell him to keep it down after a certain time at night, you know, like around 10pm - you know, cause I have to be at work at 6am. As I'm standing in the cold night, shivering my ass off in my pajamas, he answers the door, with not a hello, but "If you have a problem, just call the *bleeping* cops" and proceeds to shut it on me.

Now, I'm afraid that I will have to deal with the noise even louder, just to spite me. And he's kind of shocked me into anger, which I don't like feeling.

Alas, this is why I'm looking into buying a house (if I can come down with the down payment). No pesky neighbors playing computer games because they don't have a life.

Forgive me, I just had to vent.

Stressin'

noreply@blogger.com (YennieT) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:27:00 +0000

Second year of residency is definitely tougher than first year. People ask you questions and you're expected to know the answer. People ask you to do things and you're expected to know how to do it.

The trade-off is that yeah, I get to do a lot of stuff, which, for the most part, is fun. (Yeah, I realize that sentence has an overwhelming number of commas.)

However, that trade-off is that when you do a lot of stuff, some stuff is bound to go wrong. And that's the stressful part.

Now I'm scared to do another c-section. I'm sure I will get over this. But either way, it's not a great feeling, to go from doing something that you love so much to being afraid of it. I understand that this is all a part of the training process, learning to deal with complications and surgeries that don't go as planned, but nonetheless, it adds piles upon piles of stress.

I just had to get that off my chest. It's been a tough going, but it will pass soon, I suppose.

Toe in the water

noreply@blogger.com (YennieT) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 03:12:00 +0000

I went on a date today. It was my first date in longer-than-I'd-like-to-admit. And it was one of the worst dates I have ever been on. It lasted only an hour and a half and I thought it lasted an eternity. I didn't know how to end it. It was terrible. To make it weirder, I think he was the gayest straight man I have ever met. Not that there's anything wrong with being gay (channeling that Seinfeld episode now). Just that I would prefer not to date a gay man.

All's well though. I got some Sam Adams Summer Ale on my way home.

Argh!

noreply@blogger.com (YennieT) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 01:48:00 +0000

I hate dictating charts. It's the bane of my existence. I am still at the hospital as I am typing this and still dictating charts. My lips are becoming chapped. My neck hurts. I hate dictating charts. Have I mentioned that yet?

Liberal Lion

noreply@blogger.com (YennieT) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 05:34:00 +0000

The Senate has lost an icon.

And to imagine, I almost worked for him (through a contact I made selling my furniture on Craigslist... but that's another story for another time).

I {heart} Julia

noreply@blogger.com (YennieT) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 03:57:00 +0000

Some quotes from Julia Child while watching the chicken episode:
"You can tell that this chicken is of legal age" - talking about how to tell a roasting chicken from an old hen.
"Now's the time for a butter massage!" - how everything is better with butter.
Just had to share.

Watching Julia

noreply@blogger.com (YennieT) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 02:21:00 +0000

So, I have nothing else to do on a Sunday night other than watch public television (no, I do not have cable). Alas, who is on public television except Ms. Julia Child herself. As I'm mesmerized by watching her make omelettes (without a cooking utensil, to boot), I realize that she's cooking on an electric stove. Electric! Now I can't give the excuse of a poor electric stove to explain away my cooking.

Getting outside

noreply@blogger.com (YennieT) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:50:00 +0000

Last weekend, I eagerly stepped out of the flourescent lights of the hospital and into the bright sun. My friend, C, organized an outing to Point Reyes, to hike the Alamere Falls trail. I have to admit that at first, I wasn't very eager because I knew it would be my only day off in over 2 weeks and all that I really wanted to do was sit at home and veg. However, given my new resolution, I jumped right at it.

As a side note, as I looked at this description of the trail, I realized that it was a trail that I had been searching for since college. Back story is that when I was going out with this one guy, we went hiking with some friends to this beautiful trail. I had no idea where it was other than in Marin County. I had no idea what the name was. All I knew was that it had a waterfall on the beach at the end. And alas, I found it!

Swept away

noreply@blogger.com (YennieT) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:41:00 +0000

When I was in Maine, I had the chance to go to Thunder Hole several times, enjoying the non-thunderous sound of the waves. Apparently, I should have waited until a hurricane was called. Kinda sad.