Dear Dr. D

Dear Dr. D,

Remember a week ago when I was super giddy because you were almost in my 10 day forecast?  Well now you're in my 5 day forecast.  It says right here: "Saturday: a high of 75 degrees, low of 50, and 100% chance of soggy kisses."

I apologize in advance for crying tears of happiness all over your sweet face.  And for looking a hot mess when I do it.

Let's never do this again, deal?

Loves,
Your Mrs.

P.S.  It's a good thing you'll be back soon, because this guy is obviously getting WAY too comfortable in the alpha male role:

Dear Dr. D

Dear Dr. D,

We have officially made it through half of this two-month-long away rotation, and I think we can both agree that some days move quickly and others drag on longer than the lame opening act for Girl Talk.  You and I both know that's incredibly painful.

These days, I don't think there's ever a 10 minute stretch that passes without me missing you terribly, but I think you would be pretty proud of the things I've managed to accomplish while you've been away.  I thought you might enjoy a recap of some of those things, so here they are in no particular order:

1. I watched The Tudors.  The entire series.  40 hours worth.  And I cried every time someone was beheaded (which was like every 30 minutes, so I'd say I spent a legit 7 hours total crying over King Henry VIII's shenanigans).
2. I've managed to allow three different half-gallons of milk to expire.  I guess I thought I was a bigger milk drinker than that, but you must have been picking up my slack.
3. I've taken out the trash at least, like... two times.
4. I have begun saying the phrase "Momma don't like that" in reference to myself, when I'm not particularly fond of something.  I have no clue where I picked this one up, but I'm counting on you to break me of the habit.
5. I started two different twitter accounts for work, thus furthering my identity crisis.  You've probably noticed, since I see you are now following 2 out of my 3.  Welcome to the twitterverse, btdubs.
6. I went through our box of notes/letters/knick-knacks for each other and got all misty.  Sigh.

I know you're working on research that mostly deals with otolaryngology stuff, but if you've got some spare time on your hands, see if you can draft up a protocol to speed up time, mmkay?

Loves,
Your Mrs.

Poodle Praise

When Dr. D is away, J-dog is promoted to man of the house.

I can't imagine the roller coaster of emotions this must create in his poor little poodle noggin.  On the one hand, I am certain that he misses Dr. D.  Usually around 6pm each night, J-dog will mosey over to the front door, gaze at it wistfully, and soon thereafter deflate into a puddle of pup on the floor... waiting for the customary "he's HOME!" ritual which, these days, doesn't come.  When Dr. D calls and I answer, J-dog can immediately tell that I'm talking to that tall and lanky guy he loves to play with, and he goes bonkers---running around the house, jumping on the couch to look out the window, and doing his darndest to vocally communicate to me that he'd really love nothing more than to jump on Dr. D and get his muzzle vigorously scratched.

However, J-dog has it extra good when Dr. D is away.  For starters, I tend to talk to him a lot more, and I'd like to think he appreciates the intellectual stimulation (for example, "do you think it's too warm to wear these pants?" and "Melanie really deserves to win So You Think You Can Dance---she's the best contemporary dancer we've seen in a while, don't you agree?").  Additionally, I try to come home during the lunch hour to give J-dog some extra attention and exercise, although he's used to this being his prime nap time and so usually I just end up eating on the couch next to a sleeping poodle.  Lastly, when Dr. D is gone I allow J-dog to do something he is normally not permitted to do: sleep in our bed.

Granted, this is a poor substitute for my husband.  But it's also ridiculously comforting.  Judge me all you want, but J-dog is a super cuddler.

During Dr. D's first away rotation, I was a little apprehensive to find out whether J-dog would be disgruntled to discover that all of these perks would come to a screeching halt when the tall/lanky/fun man returned.

It turns out he really didn't mind.  J-dog relinquished "man of the house" duties and resumed a posture of utmost adoration as soon as Dr. D walked through the door.  I know this current away rotation is twice as long, but I've got a theory that when Dr. D returns in a month, it'll be the same story.

Wish that day was today.

Blogging, FTL.

Fail blog.

Seriously, sorry guys.  I wish I had some epic excuse for my absence, like I won the lottery and we paid off all of Dr. D's loans and then flew to Africa and opened a health clinic.  Or I decided to surprise him and move out to CA with him for two months during his research rotation and we've been having such an amazing time that I haven't had a moment to spare for e-emoting.  Or I'm writing a book and am now contractually obligated not to utter another cyber word until my first draft is completed.

Alas, it is none of those things.  It's something much less sexy: work.

July and August are probably the two busiest months for my job, and next week it will all culminate in a fantastical, stressful whirlygig of chaos as 30,000+ students descend upon our currently serene campus.  I am simultaneously excited for and resistant to this time of year---mostly because I find that my summer to-do list is only a third of the way finished, and the beginning of this school year marks what will likely be my last year at this university.

Oh, and have I mentioned I'm EXHAUSTED?

So there you have it.  My pseudo-apologetic excuse for the prolonged blog silence, sprinkled with justifications and a dash of pity-party.

And here comes the ambiguous reassurance of a return to semi-regular posting: I've got a few posts in the works, so when things settle down at work after next week, you'll have some of those coming your way.

I'll leave you with this picture of J-dog as "Hairy Potter," because it's my blog and I do what I want.

Mmkay... brb. (ish).

Thoughts from the weekend

I'm pleased to say that Dr. D was given the weekend off from his away rotation so he could spend the holiday with his two biggest fans (J-dog is doing his utmost to oust me from the #1 position, but until he learns to better control his crotch-kicking during wrestling matches with Dr. D, I think I'm sitting pretty).

Instead of providing the play-by-play of our weekend, I thought I'd just record some of my thoughts and observations over the past few days:

• I hope I never ever lose that butterflies feeling I get when my husband tells me I'm beautiful.
• Bacon tastes better after 1am, particularly when consumed al fresco.
• Although I did enjoy the movie we went to see, nothing beats the goosebumps I inevitably get whenever the Harry Potter trailer starts. 
• In a cruel twist of plastic surgery and coincidence, Kevin Bacon now has a piggy nose.  In related news, an android could probably emote better than January Jones (the movie we saw was X-Men: First Class, if you haven't gathered).
• I am incredibly regretful that it took us three whole years to get around to trying the breakfast burritos at our local diner.  On the other hand, my thighs are decidedly the benefactors of this oversight.
• When it comes to most restaurants that have gone out of business since we moved here, we (1) never stepped foot in them while they were open, and (2) predicted their demise.  We're thinking of offering up our services as restaurant consultants.
• Fireflies---no matter how much I beg them---will not glow upon command for photographic purposes.
• Chocolate and peanut butter continue to reign supreme in the contest of best flavor combination ever in the history of everdom (recipe coming soon).
• Parades are kind of boring.  And a little too loud.

I hope you all have had a lovely holiday weekend!  Cheers to a shorter work week.

M4: Annum Ultimum

As of today's pediatrics shelf exam, Dr. D is officially a fourth year medical student.

I remember standing in the muggy summer weather on Navy Pier three years ago, taking in Chicago and the prospect of life in the Midwest, and thinking that it felt like his MD was such a distant goal---a slip of paper so far in the future that it was nearly impossible to imagine what life would be like once he'd obtained it.

Today, I can't believe that it's less than a year away.

Third year was probably my favorite year of medical school yet, and I'm sure it was Dr. D's also.  I liked it because it never felt stagnant.  There always seemed to be something for Dr. D to be excited about, and while there was a significant amount of studying that went on, it was nothing like the cramming that devoured our social life during 2nd year.  And for someone who didn't come into medical school with any true expectation of what his specialty would be, Dr. D relished in the opportunity to sample the wide range of medicine throughout his core rotations.

Personally, I just loved seeing how jazzed he was to have true, constructive contact with real patients.  This was the year when I really got to see it: my husband treating people.  My husband, as a doctor.

Gosh, he's gonna be good at this.

I anticipate that the biorhythm of fourth year will go something like this:

1. Total relaxation (we leave tomorrow on a vacation to visit my parents in Texas)
2. Emotional angst (once we get back from vacation, Dr. D will be gone on away rotations for three months solid)
3. Jubilation (Dr. D's return in mid-September coupled with a low-key 4th year school schedule)
4. Extreme stress (residency interviews)
5. Carefree, hedonistic abandon (attempting to complete our bucket-list after realizing we don't have much more time left here)
6. Nail-biting anxiety (leading up to Match Day)
7. Cathartic release (Match Day)
8. Excitement with a twinge of sadness (finding a new place to live, a new job for me, and preparing to leave behind our first home and friends we've made as a married couple)
9. Sweat (moving)
10. Peace (new beginnings)

Ready or not...

Dear Dr. D (part deux)

Dear Dr. D,

Well, this whole distance thing isn't getting any easier, now is it?  I suppose that's an excellent sign for our marriage.

I know you don't know it yet, but today we had a fight---just a small one.  In my head.  And I realize that it's not really fair for me to have a disagreement with you (as well as a resolution), all without you actually being an active participant in any of it, so I suppose it's only fair that I let you know what went down.

You see, this morning I went into the kitchen to grab a paper towel.  Had I not done this, I wouldn't have bickered with you telepathically from over 2,000 miles away.  But honey, you've got to know that I periodically need paper towels.  I just do.

I didn't need very much paper towel, which is why when I pulled on the roll and didn't meet the perforated end until much later than I expected (resulting in a big ol' honkin' paper towel of wastefulness), I discovered that you hadn't purchased the half-sheet style that we always buy.  I found myself perturbed.  Probably more perturbed than the situation actually warranted, I'll admit, but emotions are currently running high around these parts.

I tried to rip the gigantic paper towel I had in half, but of course in my frustration I ripped a little too zealously which left me with one three-inch wide triangle in one hand, and the rest of the towel in the other.  This, of course, I blamed on you and not on my mounting irrational anger.  I went on for the next few minutes being annoyed with you and vowed to be more specific on my next shopping list.

And then I went to the closet where we keep J-dog's food, and when I opened it up and saw the rest of the paper towel pack sitting there, I involuntarily laughed aloud.

The brand of paper towels you bought is called "Awesome!" (yes, exclamation included), and now it all makes perfect sense.  I forgive you.

Loves,

Your Mrs.

{sarcasm implied, I believe}

Dear Dr. D

Dear Dr. D,

Since you've been gone (resist the urge to belt out Kelly Clarkson, dear readers, and succeed in being a stronger person than I) these seemingly infinite three and a half days, I have done the following:

• Taken out the trash on my own and nearly lost everything out of the bottom of the ridiculously flimsy bag.  How are you so skilled at this, and is it simply your absence that is contributing to my woeful feeling of inadequacy, or do I really just suck at trash? Is that even possible?
• Had an in-depth conversation about the proper usage of chopsticks.  With our dog.  Complete with demonstration, which eventually digressed into me trying to catch his beard with said chopsticks.
• Bragged to anyone who will listen that my brilliant husband is rubbin' elbows with the hoity-toity hot-shot doctors at a prestigious west coast institution (I may not have any friends when you get back, by the way, because they'll be sick of hearing about this).
• Cleaned up dog-vom twice.  I think it's because J-dog misses you...?  Boy, am I glad he and I don't display that emotion in the same way.
• Reminded myself every 30 minutes or so that many people have had to suffer long distance in a relationship for much longer than a month, and somehow they survive and thrive.  And then I got annoyed because that didn't really make me feel any better.
• Texted you a picture of me making a stupid face, which did make me feel better.  Go figure.

Loves,
Your Mrs.

I really don't want to talk about it...

...but maybe it'll help me feel better if I just get this off my chest:

I am going to be Dr. D-less for an entire month, starting tomorrow.

WHAT. THE. HECK.

Are you shocked? I certainly am, and I've at least had a couple months to get used to the idea.  But honestly, he and I haven't been apart like this since before we were 15 (a little math lesson for you: that's over 10 years!), so I really don't know how to be nonchalant about it.  It's just not in my nature.

Dr. D will be flying to northern California tomorrow to complete a four week ENT rotation.  In the med student world, this is what they call an "away rotation," and it's something they are all required to do.  They're not required to go all the way across the country to do it, but since we're hoping for Dr. D to get into a residency program back in CA, the best strategy for him is to do as many away rotations there as possible so he can make some good connections before applying to residencies in the fall.

So yes, this is a great move for our future.  But for now, it really bites.

For this next month, who am I going to dance around in the kitchen with? Or make funny faces at across the table as I'm blogging/studying?  Who is going to drag my introverted behind out of the house so I can go enjoy being a situational extrovert?  Who's going to play me songs by new artists from Pitchfork that I initially think are way too bizarre, but then find myself humming it an hour later?  Who will will join me when I randomly break into full-on song as I wash the dishes?  Will there even be dishes, since he's the one that typically cooks?

And tell me, who exactly is J-dog going to head-butt in the crotch over the next month?  He exclusively does that to Dr. D.  How can I possibly break the news to our little fuzz-bucket? Bless his little heart...

This next month is going to be rough.  I'm just putting that out there, in case you end up witnessing some extra sensitivity, sass, or overt hostility from yours truly.

How does that saying go? "Hell hath no fury like a woman who is apart from her med student partner on an away rotation"...?  I'm pretty sure that's it.