“Excuse me, are you her baby daddy?” September 28, 2006

I’m in OB this semester and it’s giving me a whole new word set: cold stress, brown fat, Shiny Schultz, transverse presentation…baby daddy. I’m excited for my patients (and surprised) when there is a husband present in the hospital. And for so many others I am so, so sad. My dad died when I was fourteen. I had a good foundation and yet his loss left a mark on me. What will fatherless kids suffer without ever knowing that protection and love and identity? I feel very small and powerless as I walk the halls of Hutzel. When I remember to, when I’m not distracted or on task, I pray. Lord, would You please intervene and protect these babies and their moms and siblings? Would You please be a dad for them, as You are a dad for me? Would You please equip the baby daddys to be the men and fathers their women and children need? Would You please heal people that have been wounded by generations of neglect? Please.

Last night I read Gathering Blue, by Lois Lowry. It’s young adult fiction and a lark of a read. It spits in the face of every fashion magazine and tv commercial that says “You have to be beautiful and perfect to be valued.” Set in some indistinguishable previous age it tries to be both rustic and a bit fanciful… a little predictable but engaging.

You can lead a horse to water… September 25, 2006

For anyone who has ever said, “I would hang out in Detroit but I never know what there is to do.”

October 13th & 14th the Friends of the Detroit Public Library are having a book sale. Sadly, I won’t be there as I’m (barely) sticking to my “no buying books” rule.

5201 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 48202 – (313) 833-1000

After you’ve picked up a few jems walk on over to Avalon Bakery for coffee and a Traverse City Cherry and Walnut roll.

422 W Willis St, Detroit, MI 48201 (313) 832-0008

There. Now you know.

Jesus rules and i’m pretty darn good at parallel parking September 22, 2006

I have to praise Jesus for seeing me through another week:  I’m relatively well emotionally and physically; managed to keep internal dialogue internal during a couple frustrating clinical days; helped a woman give birth at Hutzel on Tuesday; and parallel parked like a champ.  Now I’m home and all the stress of pushing through the week is rolling off my shoulders.

I’ve been reading Proverbs in the morning and I’m struck by how often it exhorts us to seek after wisdom (not knowledge), find contentment in present, humble circumstances  and to acknowledge gratefulness to God for His many blessings…

“Incline your ear and hear my words, and apply your mind to my teaching, for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips.  So that your trust may be in the Lord, I have made them known to you today – yes, to you.”      Proverbs 22:17-19

Amen.

the island of unloved toys… September 17, 2006

I’m coming to grips with my habit and have consolidated all the books I own, but have not yet read, onto one shelf.  There are about 25 ranging in topic from the United Nations and serving at risk populations of children to one of the more recent Anne Tyler.  So I’m going to work my way through those before I let myself buy anymore.

The first one I grabbed was Martin Dressler: The tale of an American dreamer by Steven Millhauser.  Set in the developing burroughs of NYC in the late 19th century it’s sort of interesting if you like historical-ish fiction but was too much like Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged with its wild, fantastical ramblings for my taste.

Khul-Khaal September 12, 2006

Five Egyptian women tell their stories, Nayra Atiya.  Printed in 1982 this book chronicles the lives of 5 women who range in age from early 20’s to mid 60’s.  It’s interesting and sad.

now the fun really starts… September 11, 2006

Classes are in full swing and I’ve got OB, Peds and Management.  I spent the weekend reading about the wonders of the uterus and a lot of other things I wouldn’t typically discuss in mixed company.  But just in case that wasn’t enough to keep life interesting I signed up for a 4 credit Arabic class which starts today.  This takes me up to 18 credits and that seems a little crazy considering my previous post about all the things I need to do, or feel that I need to do. 

I’ve brought this upon myself. 

I’ll try not to complain.

Open loops! Open loops! September 7, 2006

So I started reading “Getting things done” by David Allen.  Besides adding new vocabulary to my life (open loops are incomplete processes) it has gotten me to count the irons I have in the fire.  They are, in no particular order:
1. 230 pgs of reading for classes next week

2. Prime and paint the stairwell, hall and bedroom

3. Finish setting up office

4. Finish writing proposal for meeting with Jim and Meg

5. Finish thank you notes from Mom’s funeral (don’t tell my sisters.  if you are one of my sisters, don’t get mad, Emily Post says I have one year)

6. Plan of Action for setting up retreat details

7. Finish blanket for Prouty

8. Arrange and burn CDs for Kara, Lauri and Sarah

9. Knit scarf before it gets cold

10. Complete and mail camera rebate

11. Pay tuition

This is all I can think of right now.  I know as soon as I move from this spot I’ll see things that trigger me to remember all the other things I forgot.   I’m afraid to move.  I may have to sleep in the TV room.  Good thing the couch is a hide-a-bed after all.

Detroit is the new Chicago September 2, 2006

I’m totally conflicted about Becky moving out tomorrow. I’m going to miss her. She’s nice. We both like soup..and snow peas. My hope is that she’ll visit Detroit the way she has visited Chicago these last five years, which is to say, frequently. And yet I’m so excited to be moving upstairs.

I had the “spectacular” idea of switching the office and TV rooms which means that the couch (it’s a hide-a-bed…read: heavy) had to be moved out of one room, across 8 ft of hallway and into the other room. I was totally in task mode today, so after I was done sweeping and mopping I had another spectacular idea: see if could move the couch by myself. 3 minutes later it was stuck in the doorway and I had to climb out of the room. When J and Gary came to the rescue a few hours later Carolyn was supervising our efforts and said, “Who got the couch in this position?” In other words: “Did you really think you could move this thing alone?” It was a little humbling.

After that we went to the State Fair, ate all manner of carnival food and pet baby animals. I brushed up on my Bovine, Ovine and Porcine facts and we watched Belgian (Belgian!) draft horses compete. It was a good time. You should go. Tomorrow. Unless you want to help me paint.  At long last, the Pepto-Bismol pink stairwell is going down. wanna help?