'Tis my life

As a medical student, you can't do anything right...esp in the operating room.  When cutting sutures, you can cut the exact length they ask you to cut and it'll either be too short or too long.  When holding the patient's body parts back, using muscles you never knew you had and in positions you thought only possible in pornos, you're either pulling too hard or not hard enough.  If for some reason the operation time runs a bit long, it's because there was a student in the room.

Today, I was told by the surgeon that my belly button was too high on my torso. 

I just can't win.

Decisions...

Bad to Better

So this friday night, I went to 1223 for the first time.  My team during the last month of medicine was all female, and to celebrate the end of the rotation, we decided to celebrate w/a girls' night out.  We went out, alright.

So turns out, 1223 has this all you can drink happy hour from 5-9, all with just a $20 cover.  Well, we got there late, at 8, so we made sure to get our money's worth...in one hour.  Yep, I have never pounded so many vodka tonics and random shots in such a short amount of time.  Recap:

1) Gave a fake number to some guy whose face I can't remember.  But I do remember that he started to call the number on his cell and I just walked away.  My bad.

2) After happy hour ended, I was feeling...well, happy.  But after an unknown amount of time, some guy bought us another shot.  Yep, not a good idea.  Right after I took it, I somehow found my wobbly way to the ladies room.  Let me just tell you, I was not feeling too lady-like then.  I was trying desperately to vomit, but couldn't.  I think it took a good 45 mins of feeling like total cow pie before I finally puked.  And what's worse was that the amount was so pitiful, I couldn't get 2nd wind and still remained pretty freakin' out of it.

3) Woke up the next morning in this girl's bed (the other student on my team).  I checked my jeans pockets.  ID...check.  Credit card...check.   Phone...damn.  Yep, I lost my beloved Verizon Razr.  Dang it, I really loved that phone.  If that phone needed a kidney, I'd have given it one of mine.  Of course, no one turned it in to the club and I have no idea which taxi co we rode.  When I called it, it went straight to voicemail.  So either someone found it and turned it off, or it's smashed.  Either way, it sucks.  Now I'm using my old LG.  Poo.

4) Went out the next night with some classmates to Home.  Dudes, I ain't no spring chicken no mo'.  I had a great time, but my thighs are all sore today.  Apparently, I got too jiggy wit it.

5) Practiced drawing blood and giving different types of injections, today.  I'm pretty proud of myself cuz my partner said he couldn't feel any pain, since I was so quick and smooth, I guess, and I actually got a vein (on a simulation arm) that no one else has been able to get...on my first try!  Go me.

6) Afterwards, my class had a bowling nite, which I organized.  It was a success.  I wasn't the top bowler, but I got a turkey, first time ever!!!  I don't even think I've ever gotten 2 strikes in a row before, let alone 3.  I actually got the turkey on my 10th frame and tried for the four bagger, but since we only had 1 min left (it was all you can bowl for 2 hrs), I just chucked the next two balls down so I could see my final score: 144, a new personal best.

So even though the weekend was rough, this week is actually starting off pretty well.  And on Thursday, I'll be in NC either laying on the beach or chilling in our rented house that puts the Real World house to shame.  Either way, I'll probably be 'happy' again.

Nice.

Bad Day

Yesterday, I took my last exam for my current rotation.  It went pretty well, so a friend and I went to celebrate.  The night started off well:  sat at the bar section, played that trivia game thing against some random cute married guy (and won!), had some pitchers of beer and platter of wings, ran into my friend's bro's bf who bought us a celebratory shot (for my exam), went to karaoke (3 hrs!!!).... 

Yeah, I think time just totally flew in that room.  Well, since it was so late, and my friend wasn't going to make it in to work that morning, I decided to call in sick for her.  I sang some more throat-tearing songs, smoked a few more cigs and then decided that my voice was hoarse enough to finally make the call--with my real name.  Yep, I messed up.  "Hello X, this is vap."  Then I hung up.  What was I supposed to do?  How does one recover from such a mistake?!?  I ended up calling back and telling X that I was the roomie and I had to call since my roomie was too busy being sick, giving up offerings to the porcelain throne.

So began the next 12 hrs of my bad day.

I don't know what happened, but my alarm clock never went off.  I'm supposed to be at the hospital by 7am at the latest.  I really should be getting there by 6:30.  But when my eyelids fluttered open, I was blinded by sunlight (we're renovating our house and my curtains were taken down)...9 freakin-o'clock.  No good.  I had to present a case this morning at 10, so I couldn't just call in sick.  Then I realized that I had a meeting with my career advisor, a cardiologist, at 11 that I wasn't going to make, so I called to reschedule.  Then I scrambled to look presentable and drove like a stereotypical old asian chick, maniacally, to the hospital.  I get there right before 10.  Good to go, right? 

The price is wrong, bitch!  I left all the stuff I had prepared for the case presentation at home.  I run over to the conference room, found my team, frantically told them what happened and my partner had all her stuff to present (she was supposed to present last week, but never got to do it), so she volunteered to present.  I was saved.  Turned out, she didn't get to present today, either.  The Dr. who lead the discussion didn't feel like hearing a case.  So he gave a lecture instead.  Crisis averted.

Afterwards, while I was with my team, I get a page.  It's a phone number outside of the hospital.  Odd.  It's the Asst. Dean (AD) for my campus.  He paged me to his cell...to chew me out about canceling my appt w/the heart doc.  I had no idea that this doc was so powerful.  Turns out, he's some hot-shot big-wig not only in my school and hospital, but also in the medical community.  "He's former president of [something important]...he's won [x] and [x2] awards...his time is precious...we don't want to give him a negative impression...."  I don't even remember the call well.  I was just in a daze.  Apparently, the big shot was pretty upset that I canceled...esp since I had rescheduled before.  So he called and chewed out AD, who then called and chewed me out.  Basically, it was a "who's dick is bigger" bs-thing going on.

I apologized to AD, accepted full responsibility.  I mean, I messed up.  I should've just gone to the meeting w/the big shot.  But since I thought I was going to present from 10-11 and my meeting was at 11, I couldn't make it in time to drive over to his office until about 11:20.  When I offered to push back the time, his secretary said no.   But what pissed me off was that Big Shot blamed me for canceling on him "multiple times", which was untrue.  I called about a month ago to schedule an appt w/him.  His sec made a tentative appt for next week.  But once she got his updated schedule the next day, we had to reschedule cuz he was taking next week off for vacation and would be out of town.  So it wasn't my fault.

Anyway, about 3pm, I ran into AD, to whom I apologized again.  He actually told me not to worry about it and apologized to me for coming down on me so hard, but that he just wanted me to learn from this mistake. 

I then sent an apologetic email to Big Shot and called the office to set up another appt.  I'm supposed to hear back from the sec tomorrow morning.  We'll see.

So basically, I had a bad day.  I messed up, but also got shat on.  But all in all, I think I recovered gracefully.  We'll see what tomorrow holds.

Currently Listening Bad Day By Daniel Powter see related

Wow, I haven't been on this thing in so long!  Since when has this new entry thing been like this? 

Question:

How do you get strangers to stop talking to you without being overtly rude?  I was standing in the lunch line today and the lady in front of me asked where she could get salad dressing.  That was ok.  But the line was a bit long and she kept looking back at me and talking.  "So there's only one cashier for two lanes?"  Uh-huh.  "Do they charge for salad dressing?"  Dunno.  "I hope they have change for $100 bill."  Hmm.  "Why is she taking so long?"  And on and on and on. 

I was once told not to smile so much cuz strangeres tend to talk to me forever.  So with this woman, I just stared off into space.  I didn't even make eye contact when answering her.  She just kept complaining about the cashier, how she didn't know the hospital, blah blah-di blah.

*sigh*  I guess I'm just cursed with that damn friendly face.