Sep 21, 2010

Blow me away...

For the uninitiated, that there below is Brooklyn. More specifically, it's near the part of Brooklyn *I live in*.



And that, over on yonder screen, is a frigging tornado.

I try not to ask for much, guys... I mean, some school-love every now and then, a pat on the back from an attending, unchecked wealth and power... what I'm saying is I'm an ask-not sort of gal.

But I don't think it's asking too much to ask *tornadoes* to stay out of my hood.

I lived in California; I accepted that earthquakes are part of the package.
I lived in North Carolina; I accepted that hurricanes are part of the package.
I lived in Grenada; I accepted that hurricanes are part of the package though we inexplicably got an earthquake too. Maybe it's me.
I live in Brooklyn, I accept crime, the warm smell of dog piss on the streets in the summer, and the potential to freeze to death in the winter if you can't find a cab. My point is, TORNADOES ARE NOT PART OF THE EQUATION.

And in truth, tornadoes are rarely the part of any of my equations because they scare the crap out of me.

So basically, while I was passing hours on call down at Coney, just as I was let out (of course), I hear what I had believed to be a truck backing into a loading dock. Turns out that was just the thunder. When I get home to my street, the front of one building is off, there's tree wreckage everywhere, the fence has been blown up the street, and my walls had dirt streaked on them because the wind kicked up the dust from the screens. Whoa.

In other news, I'm doing my medicine sub internship right now, which is a rough commute, topped by trying to get a job at night, topped by scheduling residency interviews (it's that time, kids!), which leaves me no time to do laundry.

On the residency front, I kicked out 57 applications for that field that I love and am just waiting for my letters of recommendation to be scanned in so that my application can finally be complete. Huzzah! I've heard back from three programs so far, two offering interviews, and one stating they will schedule and interview for me when my LORs come back in, so I'm calling that one a half interview.

Sep 2, 2010

Tales from the Crypt...

Day 1:

Ishie: Ooh, an autopsy in the basement! What a wonderful learning experience!

PA: You two go down and label the cassettes. We'll be down soon.

(an hour passes)

(morgue phone rings)

Other med student: Um... hello?

Voice: SEVEN DAYS.

Just kidding.

Voice: Oh... are you guys still down there? We're doing the autopsy tomorrow.

Day 2

Ishie: Ooh, an autopsy in the basement! What a wonderful learning experience!

(PA unlocks door. Grenada sized roach runs across floor.)

Ishie: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Other med student smashes roach. Roach flips on back in center of floor)

PA: So, you won't need too much protection for this one... just a gown, gloves and shoe covers... you can come get them...

(Ishie remains pinned against far wall with arms crossed across chest. PA looks at her and looks at roach)

PA: You're a pathologist!!

Ishie: I'm not an entomologist!!

(PA sighs, takes broom and shoves roach through drain in floor.)

PA: They come up through it; I push them back through it.

Ishie: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!