Five things I learned about myself last week:
1. If I drive for more than 7 hours straight in a crappy rental car without cruise control, power windows or locks and stained upholstery, I will curse myself for not choosing instead to drive our brand new SUV.
2. I live in a very small world. I know this because at the Pediatric Hospital Medicine conference I ran into my med school roommate whom I haven't seen in 9 years and found out that she just took a job in Tucson that my friend from residency recently left in order to take a job in Austin that I had applied for and didn't get but told her how great it was so she applied for it a year later. Make sense?
3. I have a friend who I only see once a year but we can still pick up where we left off and spend hours talking about our lives. Everyone needs that kind of friend and sometimes I forget to give thanks for that friendship.
4. If given a set of evaluations from medical students and residents, and they are positive in nature, I will carry them around in my bag and pull them out at lunch and read them over and over again (to myself, not out loud!). Occasionally, I am my own cheerleader. Embarrassing but true.
5. If I want to be a true leader, I have to stop being afraid to own who I am and my thoughts and opinions. I have to establish my credibility by walking the walk and coming correct in spite of those who have different ideas of what the future should look like.
6. I want to be a true leader.
Sorry, that's six things I learned about myself. It was a good week.
Showing posts with label pediatric hospital medicine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pediatric hospital medicine. Show all posts
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Something Smells Like Band-aids
Sometimes life slips you a little good when all you've been concentrating on is the bad. I like those times.
I felt like a proud parent this morning when one of the residents presented his first journal club as part of the Evidence Based Medicine curriculum that I'm now responsible for running. He did beautifully. In fact, it went off exactly how I envisioned it in my head. And I actually think he (and the audience) learned something. Bonus! My husband teases me and calls me the "Queen of all things Journal Club". I won't lie. I love journal articles and the conversation they ignite and the delicious calculations we can perform with the data. Crazy-town.
I'm about to sit on a panel for 4th year medical students to talk about one of my other favorite topics of all time. Why I chose Pediatrics! There's nothing that can ignite my passion for my career choice quite like explaining the why and wherefores to a bunch of blessedly altruistic medical students. Did I mention there's pizza?
On Thursday, I'm leaving for Kansas City to attend the Pediatric Hospital Medicine conference. I'm looking forward to lots of lectures, debates and nerdy networking. My husband is coming with me and we've decided to drive. We're still recovering from our most recent airline experience involving a "paperwork issue" that led to an hour delay and missed connection, a night spent in a hotel 30 miles from the airport with nothing but the clothes we were wearing and a free toothbrush, a $60 cab ride to said hotel, a broken toilet and general magnificent levels of incompetence. Oh, and it was my birthday. Needless to say, we're looking forward to a romantic road trip.
So, thanks life. Thanks for the reminder.
Friday, July 31, 2009
On Dreams and Discoveries
I have this recurring dream. I am in a hurry, on my way to somewhere. I come across an all-you-can-eat dessert buffet. I try a few things and they are so good that I want to taste more. But I don't have time because I have to be somewhere else. I am filled with disappointment and longing. And then I wake up. Hungry. Weird huh?
It's amazing what you can discover when on your way to somewhere else. Here's a few things I've discovered this summer.
Garlic scapes- These guys look like a cross between a plant and an octopus but are actually the above-ground chlorophyll colored stalk of the garlic bulb that we know and love. They have an amazingly fresh and mild garlicky flavor and you can use them as you would garlic. My favorite is to make a pesto sauce out of them (no need for basil!). If you see them at your local farmer's market, grab some. You won't regret it.
Brown butter- Or Buerre Noisette if you're sophisticated in a way that I most definitely am not. This is actually a way of cooking the butter that completely transforms its taste. Heat butter over medium heat in a stainless steel pan. It will melt, the top will turn white, it will start crackling, then the magic happens. It quickly turns a shade of light brown and that is the time to remove it from heat. You've just turned the milk solids in the butter brown and created a wonderfully nutty earthy sauce. I used it in a blueberry muffin recipe and they were like rich cakey dessert muffins. Mmmm, big fan of this ingredient that can wear a sweet OR savory hat!
Rose wine- Ahhh, the perfect summer wine. Not to be confused with "white zin", the sweet gateway wine that marked my entrance into the wine-drinking world but that now I wouldn't drink if I had a choice between that and Nyquil. A rose is a beautiful deceptive pinkish-red color that surprises your palate by tasting dry like a white with a hint of deep red berries like a red. It is served chilled so is great for toting to the beach or drinking on your porch on a hot steamy summer night. I can't believe I've lived this long without it!
Columbus, Ohio- What a gem of a city! I loved the wide streets, the green trees, the cute neighborhoods, the field of cement corn cobs, and Graeter's ice cream. Let me say that again. Graeter's ice cream. I ventured out of Chicago and discovered that the rest of the Midwest might not be so bad. Who knew?!
The Pediatric Hospital Medicine conference- Have you ever felt like a stranger in a strange land? And then discovered a group of people who thought like you, spoke like you, and had the same vision as you? Then you know how I felt at this conference. I came back intellectually stimulated and excited about my career and future all over again.
On a side note, this weekend is my husband's birthday. When we met, my impetus for moving to Chicago had not turned out the way I planned and I was in a rush to head off to somewhere else. I 'discovered' him while I was in the midst of this transition. Now my reason for being here is completely different (and infinitely more satisfying) than what brought me here. But sometimes, if you're lucky, that's what happens. Take a pause and linger at the dessert buffet. You might be glad you did.
It's amazing what you can discover when on your way to somewhere else. Here's a few things I've discovered this summer.
Garlic scapes- These guys look like a cross between a plant and an octopus but are actually the above-ground chlorophyll colored stalk of the garlic bulb that we know and love. They have an amazingly fresh and mild garlicky flavor and you can use them as you would garlic. My favorite is to make a pesto sauce out of them (no need for basil!). If you see them at your local farmer's market, grab some. You won't regret it.
Brown butter- Or Buerre Noisette if you're sophisticated in a way that I most definitely am not. This is actually a way of cooking the butter that completely transforms its taste. Heat butter over medium heat in a stainless steel pan. It will melt, the top will turn white, it will start crackling, then the magic happens. It quickly turns a shade of light brown and that is the time to remove it from heat. You've just turned the milk solids in the butter brown and created a wonderfully nutty earthy sauce. I used it in a blueberry muffin recipe and they were like rich cakey dessert muffins. Mmmm, big fan of this ingredient that can wear a sweet OR savory hat!
Rose wine- Ahhh, the perfect summer wine. Not to be confused with "white zin", the sweet gateway wine that marked my entrance into the wine-drinking world but that now I wouldn't drink if I had a choice between that and Nyquil. A rose is a beautiful deceptive pinkish-red color that surprises your palate by tasting dry like a white with a hint of deep red berries like a red. It is served chilled so is great for toting to the beach or drinking on your porch on a hot steamy summer night. I can't believe I've lived this long without it!
Columbus, Ohio- What a gem of a city! I loved the wide streets, the green trees, the cute neighborhoods, the field of cement corn cobs, and Graeter's ice cream. Let me say that again. Graeter's ice cream. I ventured out of Chicago and discovered that the rest of the Midwest might not be so bad. Who knew?!
The Pediatric Hospital Medicine conference- Have you ever felt like a stranger in a strange land? And then discovered a group of people who thought like you, spoke like you, and had the same vision as you? Then you know how I felt at this conference. I came back intellectually stimulated and excited about my career and future all over again.
On a side note, this weekend is my husband's birthday. When we met, my impetus for moving to Chicago had not turned out the way I planned and I was in a rush to head off to somewhere else. I 'discovered' him while I was in the midst of this transition. Now my reason for being here is completely different (and infinitely more satisfying) than what brought me here. But sometimes, if you're lucky, that's what happens. Take a pause and linger at the dessert buffet. You might be glad you did.
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