holiday cheer

i'm back. on psych-ation, and not a minute too soon. i've accumulated lots of sleep debt, but am finally chipping away at it... which is good, so maybe i'll stop making potentially inappropriate comments in my semi-comatose state, like today on psych consult when i asked a psychotic prisoner to "take a stab" at a few questions before realizing, with a start, that i had NO IDEA what he was in prison for. i tell ya, coulda been a BAD choice of words.

so, tis been an eventful month thus far! on one of our days off, andy and i embarked upon a daunting enterprise- to infuse some xmas spirit into our home- we're preparing for my family's arrival. it started out with a half-hearted jaunt to the dollar store for plastic snowflakes... and ended with handmade dove/poinsettia/pinecone centerpieces and a fiberoptic mini-tree. we were struck with decoration madness, what can i say ;) oh, and for the first time in my life, there are xmas lights outside my house. i'm very proud of my hubby- he's started a trend... a few days after putting up our lights (which was "late" by traditional standards, e.g. 2 weeks after thanksgiving), some of the neighbors decided to put up some twinklers. nothing like a little friendly holiday competition to light up a street. ;)

then, it was my bday. the actual day of, not too fun. workday- 14 hours, hubby- postcall, dinner- takeout. but twas certainly brightened by the texts/phone calls/emails- i appreciate you all!! i just didn't have time to reply, just enough to smile, feel a warm fuzzy, and get back to work. is this what grownup birthdays are supposed to be?! sigh... but i can't complain much, cuz i had a fabulous pre-birthday celebration the weekend before.

we ate brunch at tower cafe, and i CANNOT say enough about their famous french toast. it certainly perked up my poor sleep-deprived belly and tastebuds.

not to mention some delicious hot chocolate... as you can see, the hours have taken a toll on my soul, as evidenced by my bleary eyes.




dinner was at the waterboy, which i've been meaning to try since we moved up here... which also has no relation to the adam sandler movie. lovely atmosphere, tasty cuisine, not a shabby bday dinner by any means.

and dessert? sacto's answer to pinkberry... MOCHII!

one of my last bday surprises- from my sister-in-law, who obviously knows me all too well.

well enough foodie nonsense. what is UP with the tv writers' strike?! and why am i SOO not as excited about this season of project runway?? as you can tell, my life has been: work/eat/tv/sleep/work/eat/tv/sleep/work some more for the past month or so (or at least it feels that way). looking forward this month to studying/reading for step III, working out (so help me, i WILL step foot into a 24 hour fitness this month), developing a semblance of a social life, etc...

non sequitur of the entry: just saw Sicko on DVD. i hate, HATE, hate having to discuss financial concerns about medications/tests/procedures with my patients, and i am so ashamed that physicians have not done more to remedy this broken, limping, decrepit system. sigh.
andy and i are now biding our time til we finish residency to relocate ourselves and our families to a country with free universal healthcare... namely, ANY OTHER WESTERN DEVELOPED NATION. new zealand's lookin pretty good. who's with us?!?!