Toads-in-the-Hole

Alright, I'm officially done with my four days of orientation, and now, finally, it is time to become a pathology resident!

[Time passes. Eventually a gecko runs up onto Joel's motionless shoulder, mistaking him for an inanimate object.]

Okay, so I'm starting off in microbiology, and there's a little less action than I'd hoped. The "once-in-a-great-while-but-actually-every-13-years" flood failed to spark an epidemic of water-borne diseases or fungal pneumonias (which, of course, is a good thing, and speaks well for the public health efforts to keep people from wading in raw sewage and to encourage them to wear masks in formerly flooded buildings), and so much of my time is spent simply studying microbiology out of a text book. Don't get me wrong, there are fun and interesting aspects of service, I get to evaluate certain specimens and make some decisions that affect patient care, and of course I really like reading quietly. The emphasis on books and reading quietly was one of the main reasons I went into pathology. And- hey! I have time to whip up a quick blog about how I have time to write blogs.

In other good news, my fellow residents are fantastic. The friendly camaradery that I sensed during my interview last fall is a well-established reality. We had a lecture and then a hands-on practical this morning on how to perform fine needle aspirations, and everyone was chatty, cracking jokes, and simultaneously un-selfconsciously attempting an awkward and unfamiliar task in front of their peers. The staff is all very cool, too. We had a "get to know the new residents" reception and I found myself chatting quite easily with the department chair and various service directors. So, I'm having a very happy, but somewhat prosaic beginning to my residency here at the University of Iowa.

Posted by Joel at 7:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It's another strange time for us. I've gone ahead to Iowa City for my orientation, while Aimee and Adelaide stay with her parents and wait for the current occupants of our house -which is undamaged by flooding (I know that news should have appeared in this a couple of weeks ago, sorry.)- to move out.

Despite the fact that I've only been gone for four days, and despite the fact that it is nice to take a break from parenting, it's hard to be absent from my family. Adelaide is just starting to really converse on the phone, and during my frequent calls she'll tell me about her life and we'll sing songs together, and I'll have difficulty deciding between laughing and crying.

But this time is a nice reminder of how lucky we are not to be separated regularly or for long periods of time. And in celebration of our long period of togetherness, here are some previously unseen pictures of our adventures.

Here's one from our Bemidji trip that I really like. The statue of Paul Bunyan is about three times my height, and Adelaide is a little more than 1/3 my height.

And here we are at Animal Land, the largest private family zoo in the nation (using, I'm pretty sure, a very specific and narrow definition of "private family zoo").

Sartell had its summer festival a few weeks ago, complete with parade. Adelaide quickly caught on to the idea of scurrying out into traffic in chase of thrown candy, and collected quite a bag of barely edible sugary delights. We're now trying to divert her frequent requests for her bag of candy into discussions of potty training and the kinds of sugary delights that are given to girls who use the potty. It's slow going.

My solitude ends tomorrow, as Aimee tells me the moving truck has been expertly packed up, the poopship has been loaded onto a tow dolly, and they are all set to haul our earthly possessions down I-35 and across I-80 for six-to-seven hours and then unload 'em all again. On my end, all the papers are signed, I'm in possession of a key, and no one seems to have thought better about lending us hundreds of thousands of dollars, so very soon we'll all be together again in our new home.

Posted by Joel at 5:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Since our departure from Vermillion, we've been kickin' it in Minnesota with our families.

Early on, after the U-Haul was returned and our possessions safely stowed in a 10x15 square foot storage cube, we ventured north and visited Molly and Doug in Bemidji. We introduced Adelaide to the Mighty Mississip at Itasca's headwaters; we took a glorious 12-mile bike ride up hill and down at Itasca; we shook hands with Paul and Babe on Lake Bemidji; we met the tigers, lemurs, camels, and deer of Animal Land; we took a strolling tour of the farm, picked countless woodticks off of one another, happened upon an Indigo Bunting and a Grosbeek at Molly's feeders, and patted Numa and Breezy (the horses) often. We enjoyed a relaxing, memorable time at Molly and Doug's, and left the camera at home ... Growl.

Continue reading "Summer Comes to Minnesota" »

Posted by Aimee at 8:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)