Oriented Like a Mofo

Well, I am writing now that my orientation at Monte/CHAm has essentially ended. We still have a lunch tomorrow but that's at some restaurant in Westchester so I don't knwo if that can really be called 'orientation'. The Monte part was stupid, the CHAM part was pretty much unnecessary for me, but it was fun nonetheless since we got to all meet each other. 7 guys in my program (out of 23) - a big percentage for a peds program - much bigger than the last two years at Monte. I am now certified in PALS as well - but damn scared to be put in a situation where I would need to use any of the knowledge that I learned.
I start on shabbos with a 10-10 shift in the ED. then i have a regular day of clinic on monday with a 6-12 shift after and on july 4th the noon-midnight shift. oh yeah, we're moving on sunday the 2nd. though i am happy i am starting in the ED - i am pretty well known and comfortable their already so it should be fun. My co-intern, Ginger, is on with me. She seems pretty cool - and actually looks like what you would expect a Ginger to look like. It should be a party!
Word has spread about my research getting accepted for the abstract presentation at the AAP meeting in October. the 3rd year fellow Ee (yes, that is her name) offered to send me her template for a poster which is nice. and since i dont have the floor until spetember, i should actually have some time to work on this poster over the summer, which is nice. just awaiting instruction from dr Avner and/or dr. Khine.

Sammy is cruising and crawling and is just so much fun, though he has developed this nasty habit of biting. Not that he is doing it to hurt, but hell, he's got razor like teeth and it really does hurt! Shosh and I both have war wounds from him. But he is just so mushy and sweet. Though he does have a cold now - congested again and all.

My parents are in Vegas now. It's really freaking hot there. 114 degrees. It was actually cooler in the desert than in Vegas - go figure! It sounds like they are having a good time. Andrew is back from Israel and Alex is working over teh summer doing some filing or stupid shit like that, but he is getting paid like a madman. Now he thinks he wanst to do mechanical engineering. pretty neat.

On a sad note, it seems my car has been vandalized twice in the last few weeks - each side mirror has (on seperate occasions) been found cracked and out of place from the holder. Cost 600 to replace them both. so pissed.

Saw Click today with Shosh (yes, we went on a date) - and i dont care what the reviews say - i LOVED it. Funny, goofy Adam Sandler and a sad movie. Basically the movie was saying life is precious, enjoy it. I cried, a lot (i know, i'm a loser), but i dunno - the thought of Sammy growing up and being a dad and potentially missing any of it is quite depressing. Anyways- everyone knows that there is no way he fast fowards his entire life - you know he will end back up happy, but its a great movie nonetheless.

Another sad note - most of our friends have moved out of Einstein and soon we are leaving. very sad. I think some have even started residency already. so sad.

our FFl auction is going well - i managed to trade a guy i wasnt going to keep anyway, which was good for me and it is soon my pick in the draft. My NL team has been on fire, and teh return on AJ Burnett (92 pitch complete game shut out today) perks up my sagging AL team a bit.

peace out H-town

Oriented

Well, orientation has begun. Actually, it is mostly finsihed. Spent the first two days of teh week listening to higher-ups in Montefiore drone on about things I either a) don't care about or b) already know. Pretty annoying and boring. Today was our CHAM orientation, which was cool as we got our syllabi, bot to meet the chiefs, got our beepers (got our ID's that say MD on it yesterday) and really just all got to meet each other - the other 22 people I will be slaving on with over the next 3 years. And let me tell you, I can't wait. Tomorrow we have our day long neonatal resuscitation program, which as i hear is supposed to be a very painful day.
Other exciting medical news - the abstract submitted by yours truly on analgesia and LPs ws accepted for presentation at the 2006 conference of the AAP - pretty damn exciting! All those months of research were not for nothing! Its a damn shame I will not be able to go since it is actually the first days of sukkot and I am on the floors. But, very exciting (and helpful for my future endeavors nonetheless).

Exciting Sammy news - he decided that today was going to be the day he got on his knees and crawled! Pretty amazing to watch, I must say. Not only because its my kid, but having just watched a baby take his first real crawling steps, it is interesting to watch him process what he needs to do, and he actually looked a little afraid. But it was amazing!!! Sammy kicks ass!!!

Watched game 6 of the NBA finals last night, congrats to Jon Wolf (sure, I'll introduce him now - a good friend of mine from MIT - in my pledge class at AEPi, from Florida (obviously) - lover of all sports and good music - now working for coremetrix in texas. Jon is one of the close friends I have maintained after MIT despite the fact that sometimes we go weeks without talking to each other (and otehr times we talk 2 times a week) I miss hanging with Jon, hopefullly he comes out here to NY soon) - there... introduced one college firend - only a ton left (and Einstein and now Monte - yikes!)). Anyways - bottom line is Dwayne Wade is amazing - clearly teh best al laround basketball player now - better than Kobe, LeBron or anyone else. The kid (yes, he is younger than me) is phenomenal. and fun to watch and seems like a good guy, which makes it easy for him to route for. As Elson told me last night - if I had to start an NBA team and pick a guy - it would be Dwayne. Anyways - the NBA draft is next week and my Knicks select - oh wait, we dont have the #2 pick - we traded it to Chicago. Way to go Isiah.

I think I suddenly developed a cold. Crap.

No new movies - but I did read Chain of Evidence by Ridley Pearson which was a pretty decent murder mystery with a healthy ammount of twists and turns. I enjoyed -2.5/4 stars for me. Now I will be starting on Clive Cussler's latest - Black Wind - which he co-wrote with his son... hope it is not lame.

I listened to Live's new album - Songs From Black Mountain - which was OK - i didnt love it, but I tend to like the Live albums better the more I listen to them. Best songs on the album was All I Need and Show, in my opinion - I give the album a 2.5/4. Also listened to Stadium Arcadium by the RHCP - which was a great album. 4 Amazing songs - Stadium Arcadium, Dani California, 21st Century and Snow, 2 great songs - Charlie and Make You Feel Better, a whole slew of very good songs and the rest were good. Highly recommended and I give it a 4/4! Go RHCP! Gotta love Anthony Keidis' voice.

Anyways - that is all for now- off to read and bed. Packing is a bitch.

oh yeah- saw Krevat today on his few days in NY after coming home from Israle before going back to Seattle via Denver - man he is all over the place.....

and - I finally figured out who the girl in the gatorade commercial with the athletes (Wade, Manning, Jeter) with the small bodies os - Jennie Finch from the USA Womens Softball team.

and oh yeah - go USA (and Italy)!!!

Goings on.....
Well, we finally got our schedules. I start off pretty easy with outpatient and then sick call and vacation (which I wanted, since we are going to Israel). But, alas, I do have an ER shift that first day - July 1st. Should be fun.
Orientation starts on Monday, so this is really my last few days of freedom before I descent into hell, like Dante. Just kidding - i'm looking forward to it - it shouldn't be that bad at all.
Really have just spent the past couple days exercising and packing - I have packed so much, but yet still have so much to pack!
Was in Boston for Drew's wedding on Sunday - just made in time to sign the ketubah actually. I drove up with Jason and Carrie Ann (i know, friends from college I have yet to introduce) and we saw a lot of people I know there - Korn and Sarah, Buster, Jordan Adler and Julie, Bette and Alex, BenL, HowieK, Chief and Emily to name a few - it was very nice (again, all people I haven't introduced yet).
We took Sammy to get some professional pictures done yesterday from someone Buzzy knows - she made Shosh dress up in some funky white clothes, and photographed her with a naked Sammy and then all 3 of us, then me and Sammy with our shirts off and then just Sammy - strange, but fun. I hope some good pics came out.
Tomorrow I think I am going to take Sammy to visit my Safta in Queens. She hasn't seen him in a while, so I want to bring him to see her.
I saw The Girl Next Door it was a pretty funny movie. Listened to Pearl Jam's newest album - and, I give it 2 stars (out of 4). Honestly, it was just blah - no really great songs, a few good ones, and most OK ones. Nothing special, really.
Anyways - that's it for now. I'll check back in tomorrow hopefully.

Brief Post

Quick update on what is going on as I am heading up to boston for Drew Starr's wedding shortly - i tis going to be a long day as I am driving up and back today sicne I do not want to be away from Sammy and Shosh for a night.
Shabbos was nice - sort of the last Shabbos that most of our friends will be here - we are not going to be here for the next 2 weekends, though it seems likely that we will be here at least teh shabbos of July 1st and possibly another one after that - which would anger me deeply.
Anyways, Shosh and Sammy are good. Sammy loves to stand and does not want to sit - he likes to walk while holding on to people even though he is completley unsteady and not walking correctly... but it is cute nonetheless. He is still not crawling and gets very frustrated when he is on his stomach for more than a few seconds - but he is very cute. HE started clapping, did I mention that? That just rachets up the cuteness scale to a 12/10.
I did a siyum on shekalim yetserday and already started Yoma - a whoel 7 perakim about the yom kippur service.... not gonna be too exciting I imagine - but I have kept up the daf yomi thing for 15 months already - which surprises even me - so I am sure I'll survive.
I had to read the PALS and NALS books this week as I have my NALS course next week and PALS the following week. Orientation is a week from Monday. Pretty Crazy, huh?
Got some new music - the Chili Peppers new album as well as Pearl Jam's and Live's.... should be some good listening for the car ride up to beantown. Oh yeah, Nelly Furtado's new single - promiscuous girl... heard it on the radio once and I really liked it.

anyways, that is all - I have to go play with Sammy now.

peace out H-town

Shabbat Shalom

new posts coming this weekend/next week!

im sort of on a major television network schedule here!

D