Sunday, June 08, 2008

June 8, 2008 7:51pm

I start my Pathology rotation tomorrow. Not having to see patients will be a nice break for 4 weeks. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy taking care of my patients but I feel like I've been so swamped with annoying shit for the last 4 weeks that I just need to be somewhere that I don't have to deal with it for a while.

Gas prices are making me nauseous. My truck runs on diesel which, when I first got my truck, was cheaper than regular gas. Now it is about 30 cents higher than premium. I miss being able to just get in my truck and drive around. It relaxed me. I energized me when I was stressed and just wanting to sleep.

I can't do that anymore because I just can't afford it. It costs $100 to fill my tank and depending on how far I go I need to fill it about every 1 1/2- 2 weeks.

Luckily, Roger's car is far more economical when it comes to gas, so we use his on weekends when we're together.

Between the gas prices and just general cost of life, I seriously worry about how I'm going to be able to afford anything in a few years. I know that seems silly because in a year I will be a Resident and I'll have a job for the first time in 4 years. I'll actually be making a little bit of money.

Maybe I worry too much, but I'm seriously concerned about my ability to afford anything after the next election.

Giving away free money for programs sounds lovely, but since I know that money will be coming out of mine and my husband's pocket....I'm not real thrilled about that prospect.

I also worry when phrases like " universal healthcare" and "redistribution of wealth" begin to be thrown around. I think when people clap and cheer for these things, they don't realize that they have dire consequences that have been disasterous when tried in other countries.

Maybe we all learned about the New Deal in 8th grade and were told how great it was, so we think that the New New Deal will be even better. Unfortunately, we were misinformed so we actually believe that government programs help bring a country out of a recession/depression rather than seeing that it kept us in one for 10 years more than we had to be in it.

Sigh.

I just worry.

Thursday, June 05, 2008

June 5, 2008 10:51pm

Yeah, I know. It's been a while.

Okay, it's been way too friggin long to give detailed descriptions of everything I've been doing.

Therefore, you get the Readers Digest version of everything in Elizabeth's life since April 10th.

Moved back to Jersey.
Started a new rotation.
Got a dog.
Went to DC for a medical conference (doesn't that just sound sooooo grown up?).
Dog went to doggie boot camp.
Finished a rotation and began another one.
Roger has been doing mega traveling for work.

The only really exciting bit of information there is the dog.

His name is Socrates. He was about 6 months when we got him. He's about 7-8 months now. The exact date of his birth is unknown. We got him from a local foster/rescue called K9's In Need. I saw his picture on PetFinder and contacted the rescue for an application. Being the nervous person that I am, I worried and worried that the rescue wouldn't accept us because we're not married, or if the house is dirty when they come for the home visit, or they think that a doctor won't have enough time for a pet.

I was wrong. We got the dog about 2 weeks after I submitted the application, and it only took that long because I was waiting for Roger to get back from a trip before we brought the dog home. We renamed him and he seemed to settle in quite well.

We think he was born in October based on the info that the rescue has. He was found with his mom and litter in Leesburg, VA. They ended up in a kill shelter there and were rescued by K9's In Need just as they all developed Parvovirus. Now, I know that in humans Parvovirus is like a nasty cold but I'm told that in dogs it's a nasty, nasty thing. Three of the litter and mom survived.

And now here he is:































We know that he is mostly black lab, but the rest of his genetics is unknown. His tail curls over (very un-lab like), and he has a few features that resemble other breeds.







We think he's perfect.