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.

Are you wearing a hat?

Well you better hold on to it.  I finally have a day off of work, so now this is happening:

...am I the only weirdo you know who puts a beverage sleeve on her iced drinks?  Sweaty glasses skeeve me out.  I also have the tendency to drop them (slippery little devils), so this is my solution.

But I digress.  Catch you on the flip side.

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).