Now it's time to get acquainted/reacquainted with all of the people I've missed over the last 13 months. We're having a small celebration at our house--a shindig, if you will--so I can finally really get to know more brethren from church. Most people know who I am because I volunteered for public duties almost every service I attended (since I was on call/post-call 50% of the time). But most of my after-meeting time was spent keeping track of a certain young lady, who generally does well but needs to expend energy before the near-hour drive home. Other adults try to contribute to this task, but have become...less agile as the year has progressed. And distance tends to preclude many social gatherings with our brethren, as most live west of the building. So, I look forward to a much more active social life, as 80-hr weeks yield to 60-hr weeks.

And, of course, at the end of my intern year, the program gets threatened by the university for working the interns too hard. You know something's bad when people are worried about intern work load. Where were these people last year?!

Arrows
The Eldest amazes me every day. Sometimes I just try to teach her some advanced fact just to see what her limit is, and she usually grasps it. (Ask her about oscillation some time.) But above all, she is remarkably sweet and empathetic. Always offering to share a toy, food, or a hug. Deeply worried when someone else (even a cartoon) falls or appears hurt. (Fearless for her own safety, though.) She has many books memorized; I love to hear her reading them over the monitor.

She is almost here! I've been delivering babies and working in the NICU all month. In about four weeks, I'll be on the other end of the bed (barring a precipitous delivery). The nursery is ready, and we're looking forward to a preliminary visit from Nanny this week.

> Rubies
Growing and glowing. I couldn't get through a lot of the grind and drama of work without her support. She's been a de facto single mother half the time this year (to a perpetual motion machine) while still providing support to a burned out intern and growing a new human being. More precious than rubies, indeed.

Watch these videos, especially if you're feeling a bit down. You will not regret it.

Paul Potts
Susan Boyle
I haven't been on pleo much this year for obvious reasons. It has been a particularly long winter; 80-hr work weeks six of the last seven months. I'm finally on a couple of easy rotations before the final push to July and the end of internship.

I'm sure you've heard by now that it's a girl. That means the great name debate rages on. We still had our boy name from the first pregnancy, but we have no consensus on the female names. My current favorite is Penelope (Penny), probably because Lost is firing on all cylinders this season. I'd probably name the kid Desmond if it was a boy.

Good night, pleonasters.

Tonight the University of Tennessee Volunteers outscored Kentucky's Jodie Meeks by 18 points. Unfortunately for the Vols, Meeks' fellow Wildcats contributed a few points as well, handing UT a nasty 90-72 home loss. Meeks broke his own record for three-pointers (10) and the UK single-game scoring record set by Dan Issel in 1970 (53) with 54 points.

The huge grin on Meeks' face at the end of the game + Bruce Pearls' tears of frustration = Top 10 UK memory

I'll try to put up a meaningful entry soon, but in the meantime, enjoy this:

Home Sweet HomeWe've finally moved into our new home in Mascoutah, IL. After living the hobo life in various (tiny) temporary homes, we feel like royalty in a sprawling mansion. Layla has plenty of room to run around and play, and I can retreat to my man-cave in the basement when necessary, complete with office, makeshift (soon-to-be-finished) living room, workout area, bedroom (for post-call snoozing), and full bath. Besides the quiet for sleep and study, it keeps us from having to constantly eye Layla, since expensive gear like guitars and computers are all out of sight.

Our phone numbers have also changed, but I'm wary of posting our new contact information on the internet. If you'd like them, send an e-mail or ask my parents for the info.

New AdditionsI can't wait to meet my new nephew! He looks like a future Wildcat star to me! My girls get to go for a visit next month, but I won't be able to get away until New Year's. :(

Work stuffI'm halfway through the third of fourteen blocks. My current rotation is Outpatient Ob/Gyn. Not really my cup of tea, but the hours aren't too bad (except for a couple of weekends on Labor & Delivery). Next block is one of my Internal Medicine months, which is insanely busy here. Most programs have several of the following:

1) Caps on the number of admissions you can pick up in one day (often 6-8 patients).
2) Caps on the total number of patients residents follow at a time (usually 12 for interns and 24 for senior residents)
3) A night float team that covers the floor and/or admissions overnight.
4) A "short call" team that follows patients who were admitted overnight

Here? None of the above. It's nothing to admit 16-20 patients in a single call shift, and then you have to follow all of them during their stay. Having 5-6 page patient lists is the norm.

The upside is that because we're the busiest program in the Air Force, a lot of opportunities open up when we complete the program. Our grads end up running ICUs and hospitals overseas due to the experience here.

I don't mind being busy, especially while practicing my favorite branch of medicine, but I do worry a bit that having so many patients will prevent me from giving each optimal care. Mistakes are the main reason most programs adopted some of the listed measures.

PicturesI was hoping to upload a bunch of pictures today, but I can't find our stinkin' Smart Card reader. I'm sure it will turn up as more boxes are unpacked, so stay tuned.

RandomIn case you hadn't heard, Google put out a new web browser called Chrome. I've been using Firefox for a while now, and it's been solid. There are a few bugs and features that I would improve/tweak, and Chrome seems to do just that. There's a comic (I'm not kidding) that explains a lot of the features. It's pretty boring, but persuaded me to give it a try. It's definitely faster, and handles Flash and embedded video much better. The address bar and search bar have been united in the "Omnibar", which saves space. The major downside vs Firefox at this time is the lack of extensions. Both are open-source, meaning anyone can look at the code and invent neat add-ons. Give Chrome some time, and I'm sure that portion of the playing field will level out. Give it a try!