Noo Yawk

It's official - I will be spending September and October in the fair city of New York, first in the Bronx at Weiler Hospital, and then in Manhattan at Beth Israel. I am excited and apprehensive, the same way you become anxious about dumb details like where will I eat lunch? who will I hang out with? what if I can't figure out the subway system? The crazy part is, I'm not that anxious about the actual rotations themselves. At the risk of sounding pompous, that's the easy part - simply because it's the most predictable. There are certain unversalities in the practice of medicine, and especially in Ob/Gyn, that one can rely on. So I bite my nails down to the cuticle worrying about being well-liked and not looking like a tourist. It will also be hard to be in NYC in the midst of MLB play-off madness... I will go armed with my Red Sox hat to ward off evil!

In unrelated news, my friend Amy (who happens to live in Brooklyn, so it's kind of related) has resumed her blogging habit, which is now displayed in my list of links on the right. And speaking of the Web, I recently rediscovered The Political Compass, which I remember doing in college. It does change with the times, so the questions are very relevant. Despite that, I continue to fall in the same quadrant that I belonged to in college: Libertarian left. I coulda told you that.

City mice unite!

You Belong in Paris

Stylish and expressive, you were meant for Paris. The art, the fashion, the wine! Whether you're enjoying the cafe life or a beautiful park... You'll love living in the most chic place on earth.

What City Do You Belong In?

In memoriam

My deepest condolences to Trish, Sydney, and Tiz as they mourn the sudden loss of their sweet little mutt, Lou.

I'm glad I had the chance to pet him, play with him, and laugh at his goofy, spirited antics. Even though they hadn't had him for very long, he was a cherished member of the Seymour-Tisdell-Straub family, and he will be sorely missed.

Building character

Do you remember the classic Calvin and Hobbes strip about "building character?" Every time Calvin's dad asks him to do a tedious chore, he justifies it as an opportunity to "build character." Well, lately at work, I've been building more character than I ever wanted to. It's kind of a crunch because we're all leaving by the end of June, except for one, so we have to shuffle things around and cover for each other until all the new staff are on board. So between me and Marisa, we will have to juggle six research studies and generally hold down the fort, which is easier said than done. As if that weren't enough, one of the doctors is writing a grant and I'm the one lucky enough to help her with it. *sarcasm alert* It just so happens with the timing of various departures that I'm the most flexible with my availability. Wooo. This would be annoying per se but it's an especially fun treat because this doc is probably one of the most anal retentive, OCD, super-anxious people I know. And trust me, that's saying a lot. The damn thing is due on May 29th, so I'm going to have to channel all my spiritual and meditative powers to stave off a psychotic break. Not to mention the large, stiff drink I'll need that night.

Anyhoo. My latest Netflix rental was Little Miss Sunshine and I absolutely loved it! That's a movie I could have bought at the store and kept. I'm glad Alan Arkin won the Oscar for his role - he was brilliant! I wish Steve Carell had won something too, though. He is incredibly talented. The whole story was very well written, acted, and filmed. I love movies like that which are like little glimpses into someone's world, kind of like being a fly on the wall for a little while. There's no big finish, no preachy moral, no melodramatic symbolism. Just a story, plain and simple. Next on the list is Miss Congeniality (pure coincidence that two movies based on beauty pageants are adjacent on my queue, I swear!). I would also like to get to the theater to see Shrek the Third sometime soon.

I also would like to draw your attention to the recent additions to my blog, namely links to my Flickr photos and my del.icio.us page. The former is a wonderful way to post, share, and organize pictures and images. The latter is a very handy place to store all your bookmarks and favorite links which you can then access from any computer. Both are free services (Flickr has the option of a paid account with more features and less advertising) and very easy to sign up for. And, as with most things, it's more fun when your friends are doing it. I haven't uploaded all my pics to Flickr yet, but there are a few from the wedding. The main way I am sharing photos right now is through Facebook, but I've been wanting something more permanent and user-friendly than Snapfish or Shutterfly. Check back often - hopefully I'll have most of my pics up in a few days!

Pics!

These are highlights from Anne and Mike's wedding - more posted on my Facebook page. Good times were had by all :-)

Mr. and Mrs. Kurkulonis/ Dr. and Mr. Garrison




The med school gang


Getting down

Weddings, babies, and sunshine

I think that the title of this post pretty much covers the last few days in my life. The most important item to report is that spring is literally in full bloom by now and my hideous allergies are completely quiescent, thanks to the three medications and weekly allergy shots to which I faithfully submit myself. I'm so glad I'm able to be outdoors, strolling through a park coated with pollen, mounds of freshly mowed grass merely inches away, and not even so much as a sniffle! *knock on wood*

My lovely weekend started on Friday afternoon when my former co-worker, Kim, came by our office with her eight-month old baby girl, Kenzie. I always find it incredible to see little ones throughout their first year of life - they change so much every single day. I've known Kenzie since she was about a 32-week old fetus and I can't believe she's already a beautiful child babbling, playing with toys, and practically able to stand on her own! Kim is also looking fabulous and motherhood clearly agrees with her.

Then on Saturday afternoon it was off to the Wachusett Country Club to celebrate the wedding of my friend and fellow OB/Gyn, Anne, to her awesome fiancée (now husband!) Mike. They are ridiculously perfect for each other and I have no doubt they will make each other very happy for many, many years. While the ceremony itself was short and sweet, the non-stop party that followed was certainly the highlight of the event [N.B. - I will post pictures as soon as my friends circulate their masterful candid photography]. After much rug-cutting at the reception, we moved on to Brew City for mozzarella sticks and dessert. There was much beer imbibed (not by yours truly, being the eternal D.D.) and much merriment to be had. I got to meet some fabulous, hilarious people and stayed up far later than I have in a very long time. Then it was back to Boston, although this time my typically solitary journey eastward on the Pike was much more enjoyable in the company of the lovely Laura, whom I drove to her fiancée's home in Quincy. Alex, her betrothed, had called it an early night since his allergies were unfortunately not nearly as well-behaved as mine. Booooo!

As for today, I got a respectable five hours of sleep last night, and got up in time to shower and get dressed up for a decadent Mother's Day brunch at the new Taj Hotel in Boston. My sister was able to spare a few hours from her crazy finals schedule to come to brunch (at which we consumed a week's worth of calories). And what would Mother's Day be without some serious shopping? So next it was off to Copley where we hit up J. Crew and Tiffany & Co. Calm down. I can't afford that kind of bling! We got a cute little sterling silver fork and spoon set with a heart on the handle as a gift for our friends Larry and Jen who welcomed their baby daughter, Sophia, last week! So, as a perfect end to a perfect day, my mother and I went to visit the happy family. This child, as most multi-racial babies are, is just too cute for words. She slept the whole time we were there and only squawked once or twice, settling down easily after some gentle rocking.

I love babies. I love weddings. Neither are imminent in my immediate future, but for now I'm enjoying celebrating these milestones in the lives of my dearest friends. No one else close to me is expecting a child anytime soon, but I do have two more weddings to attend this year! What better an excuse to dress up, meet up with friends, and dance for hours with any number of attractive men? Hence, I command you all to keep the champagne flowing, the engagements coming, and to go forth and multiply!

Because I need another useless item on my credit card bill

So I have succumbed to the powers of peer pressure. My friend and officemate, Marisa, was looking into subscribing to Netflix yesterday. I, meanwhile, was responsibly and diligently focusing on my work, using every ounce of self-control to keep my eyes on my own computer screen. Let's just say willpower has never been my forte. All I had to see was anything that vaguely resembled a quiz on Marisa's screen and my resolve instantly crumbled to a fine powdery dust. Not only did I subscribe to Netflix, I also managed to rate over 300 movies in the span of 24 hours.

Hi, my name is Viveka. I have no self-control.

On the other hand (cue stream of rationalization), I am looking forward to watching lots of movies that are on my must-see list but which I never actually rent at the video store. I don't know if it's just me, but I have this odd tendency to rent the same five movies over and over again until I realize I should just buy the damn movie already. In an effort to correct this habit, I have perhaps overcompensated by zealously availing myself of the frequent "3 for $20!" DVD sales and purchasing movies that I haven't actually seen yet, with the asinine notion that it's cheaper to buy the used DVD rather than bring myself to rent it and actually return it on time. You do the math. It don't make much sense. Hence the far more financially sound decision to pay $4.99/month (plus tax, of course) for two movies which I will be forced to watch and subsequently forget to return... all without penalty! Hey, it makes sense in my head. And that's what counts. I don't know how my bank account feels about it, but it will just have to deal.