chevrelait's Journal
[Most Recent Entries]
[Calendar View]
[Friends]
Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in
chevrelait's LiveJournal:
[ << Previous 20 ]
| Monday, August 3rd, 2009 | | 1:54 pm |
| | Thursday, April 30th, 2009 | | 7:46 pm |
I've recently been checking out apartment advertisements on Craigslist in NYC to start to get an idea of what's out there. It has taken some time, but I've finally started to piece together the lingo. NYC definitions- "cozy": jail cell - "huge space": shared with 8 of your soon-to-be closest friends - "just $400 a month": ...to sleep on the couch - "railroad style": you'll have to walk through my bedroom to poop - "safe neighborhood": as long as you don't look left. - "great view": 5 floor walk-up - "creative atmosphere": bipolar roommate It looks like I've got my work cut out for me! | | Tuesday, February 17th, 2009 | | 12:43 pm |
| | Saturday, November 8th, 2008 | | 6:35 pm |
America, the Great
I wrote this post 4 years ago when Bush was re-elected president: "Remember that time in the 80's when there was that dude (he called himself Dark Heart) and he manipulated people into doing what he wanted, and when they resisted, he froze their bodies into eternity. But then one day this highly prestigious group of activists, called the Care Bears, stopped Dark Heart by uniting hands (or paws) and screaming: "We care!!!" in a series of increasing intensity. Streams of glittering love and animation flew from their bellies onto the victims, which thawed them into awakening. And amidst the process, Dark Heart, who was really just a boy deep down, saw the error of his ways and decided to drop his evil alter ego. Then they all celebrated the victory by having a giant pool party. All I'm saying is maybe America could benefit from a nation-wide Care Bear stare." We finally did it! | | Monday, October 20th, 2008 | | 11:04 am |
Great vacation
Just got back from Colorado. It was so much fun and absolutely beautiful. Here are two of my favorite pictures from Rocky Mountain National Park.   To view the whole trip, click here. | | Friday, October 10th, 2008 | | 8:35 am |
| | Sunday, September 14th, 2008 | | 4:42 pm |
More than I bargained for...
Here's a story about the time when...just for one hour...God took a rain cloud, and commanded it to hover above me...literally and figuratively. It was yesterday. I was dog-sitting at Diesel's house and getting ready to bring him to my friend Max's house for the evening. If you don't know by now, Diesel is huge...and so is his metal crate that he is supposed to stay in when he is alone. I was trying to figure out how to collapse the crate so that I could put it in my car. I folded in the back and front, and the rest was supposed to fall on its side. I'm not completely sure what happened, but as I was handling the crate, one side fell on my hand and trapped two of my fingers inside of the crate, between two sides and between the bars. I tried to remove my fingers, but they were stuck and being crushed. Then I started to feel an incredible burning pain. That's when I started to freak out. Thank God my cell phone was next to me. I called 9-1-1. -Operator: Emergency Services. How can I help you? -Me: Um...I was trying to dismantle a dog crate and it collapsed on my hand, and my fingers are getting crushed. -Operator: I'm sorry. A dog what? -Me: CRATE! C-R-A-T-E! -Operator: Okay, m'am. Which hand is it? -Me: The left hand. My address is.... (insert address here)-Operator: Alright, we'll send someone out now. -Me: Wait! Ummm...I'm stuck in the kitchen with the crate and the front door is locked. -Operator: Oh dear. You're going to have to unlock the front door or they'll have to break the door down. -Me: Oh no. Okay.... (hangs up)I hear the EMS team outside, and they see me through the window. "Hey, the door is locked!" "Yeah, I know!" I figured the people I was sitting for didn't want their door to be broken down, so I somehow mustered up the adrenaline and strength to drag this giant metal dog crate with my hand stuck inside of it through the kitchen, down 3 steps, around the dining room table, and through the living room to the front door. EMS enters and pries the crate off of my fingers. I take one look at my middle finger (which had been caught the most deeply) and almost passed out. The top portion was completely flattened. -Me: Do you think it's broken? -EMS: Probably. You need to go get an x-ray now. Hop in the ambulance. We'll drive you to the hospital. -Me: No, it's just across the street. I can walk. -Neighbor: (sees the ambulance) Oh my God! Is Diesel alright?! -Me: (annoyed) Yes, he's fine. I think I broke my finger, though. -Neighbor #2: (steps outside of his house) What happened to Diesel?!! -Me: (very annoyed) He's fine, thanks! The ambulance drives away and as I begin to walk to the hospital, a torrential downpour begins. You know how in cheesy movies there's always a cliche rain storm during the saddest moment of the movie? This was apparently my saddest moment. I get to the hospital, and I don't see the ER entrance anywhere. I stop a car on the street. Apparently the ER is up on the hill on the other side of the hospital. Great. I arrive at the ER, like a drowned rat with a crushed finger. It's not too busy so I get seen right away. As I gave registration my insurance card, they tell me that this hospital does not take my insurance, and that I would have to pay out of pocket for the entire visit. At this point Max is on his way anyway, and when he arrives at the ER, he offers to drive me to another hospital that does take my insurance. -Me: Isn't it kind of funny that every time I dog-sit Diesel, we end up at an ER? -Max: Yeah. (We laugh). Fortunately, there's where everything started to turn around. I went to another hospital, got some x-rays where I was told to give the finger in multiple positions, and it turns out my bone isn't broken, just badly bruised. I got a finger splint for comfort, and it's already feeling better. Three hours and hundreds of dollars in co-pays later I returned to Diesel's home, where I found him waiting patiently for me at the door. What an afternoon. | | Wednesday, August 20th, 2008 | | 9:25 am |
7 Good Things
Going through a really difficult time right now. Not something that I really want to talk about on the internet. In lieu of that, here are 7 positive things in my life: 1. Amazing friends who check on me hourly 2. Hilarious co-workers 3. Interesting cases at work 4. The new house I just moved into 5. Friendly animals 6. Perfect weather 7. Planning a trip to CO just for fun | | Friday, August 8th, 2008 | | 2:00 pm |
Silly sleep deprivation
Talking to a very sleepy Neil this afternoon was nothing short of adorable. - Neil: I saw a guy in Moshi who looked a lot like Curt the other day. - Me: Really? Were you mistakenly like: "Hi Curt!"? - Neil: No. I mean he didn't look completely like Curt. This guy was black. | | Thursday, July 24th, 2008 | | 10:24 am |
For the love of food
It seems like every summer of my adult life, I have found a food or a dish that I crave all the time. It's always something healthy that I never had much experience with in the past that I end up wanting to eat...say...2 to a thousand times a week. 2004: couscous: Cheap and 5 minutes on the stove. My favorite part was the fork fluffing at the end. I'm pretty sure I tried every possible flavor. Important information: broccoli and cheese couscous is in fact disgusting. 2005: cottage cheese + fruit: apple sauce, apple slices, pineapple, peaches, whatever. A lot of people think cottage cheese is disgusting. And I would say to those people: you're wrong.2006: sushi: I think I may have spent half my grocery money that year on fake crab meat wrapped in seaweed. To this day, I still haven't actually been to a sushi restaurant, but it's in the works. 2007: baked tilapia (with rosemary, olive oil, and lemon juice): There's really not much to say except that it's so freaking good. 2008: green beans and almonds: This summer I am making an effort to eat more fruits and vegetables. Every time I go to the grocery store I look at all the vegetables I could buy, and always settle on green beans. I just can't get enough. I've even had them for breakfast. Who knows why? Now I bring this idea to a discussion. Has there ever been a food that you've been semi-obsessed with for a few months? If so, what was it? And are you sick of it now? | | Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008 | | 3:09 pm |
Wow...just wow.
Pittsburgh Baby Thief Faces Slay Charges in Womb SlashThe Pittsburgh woman with a history of baby-snatching who turned up at a local hospital with a newborn baby allegedly cut from a teenager's womb was charged Sunday.
Andrea Curry-Demus, 38, faces homicide, unlawful restraint and kidnapping counts for allegedly butchering 18-year-old Kia Johnson on Thursday, then taking her baby, authorities said. When tests proved the baby wasn't hers, Curry-Demus - who served time in prison for stealing a baby in 1990 - told police that she paid someone $1,000 for the newborn.
Johnson's body was found at Curry-Demus's apartment Friday with her wrists bound with duct tape and head covered inplastic. Her abdomen and uterus had been slashed, and her placenta was lying nearby. The teen was positively identified through dental records late Saturday, but an autopsy did not determine whether she was alive or dead when the baby was taken, authorities said. Her family told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that she had expected to give birth July 30. Allegheny County Medical Examiner Dr. Karl Williams told The Associated Press that the baby is "apparently doing well."
Police said Johnson and Curry-Demus, who had been pregnant herself but had a miscarriage last month, likely met while visiting different inmates at a jail. In 1990, Curry-Demus pleaded guilty to stabbing a woman in a plot to steal her child. A day later, she took a 3-week-old baby girl from a Pittsburgh hospital. The baby was unharmed, and Curry-Demus served about seven years in prison.
Curry-Demus's neighbors said she had had a baby shower recently, but relatives still weren't convinced the woman was having a child. "I just had a feeling that she wasn't pregnant," her sister-in-law Stephanie Epps said. "She would never let you touch her stomach, and pregnant women let you do that."http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2008/07/20/2008-07-20_pittsburgh_baby_thief_faces_slay_charges.html | | Sunday, July 20th, 2008 | | 9:21 am |
Only in Africa...
Neil said he was at the post office this weekend, and he saw a hilarious advertisement. It was a picture of a large truck and on the side of the truck, huge letters were printed: C.U.M....and in smaller print at the bottom: City Urgent MailAh, never in America. | | Tuesday, July 15th, 2008 | | 12:54 pm |
last leg of the journey
 I freaking love this picture. This was the last picture taken on our trip. We had just arrived at the DC airport, exhausted and dirty and happy to be back in America. As we rounded the corner, Peter's parents surprised us with hugs and peppermint brownies. It was totally insane and hilarious and endearing that they drove 5 hours just to say hi to us for a short while during our layover. I think this picture completely summarizes the mix of feelings and physiological effects we were experiencing at the moment. ...Like right after leaving an amusement park, when the adrenaline rush is just wearing off and you could justify passing out anywhere. That was this moment, and although I thought it was ridiculous at the time, I'm so glad it's been captured now. | | Monday, July 7th, 2008 | | 11:51 am |
| | Wednesday, June 18th, 2008 | | 10:20 am |
Travel details
I'm going to Africa in 4 days. CRAZY! The first week, we'll be on the beaches of Zanzibar, baking in the sun, doing some tours, and living it up hotel-style. The second week, we'll be in Neil's village, hiking in the mountains, meeting his neighbors, and living it up third world-style. Our last day, we'll be hanging out in Dar es Salaam, the biggest city in Tanzania. So we'll have the touristy, country, and city experience. I get back July 7th. Plenty of pictures will be posted when I return. For those of you who this applies to, I'll tell Neil you say hi! | | Monday, June 16th, 2008 | | 5:53 pm |
The Dog House: Poo Specialist
Okay, I need to vent because I'm so tired and sleep-deprived and I sort of want to kill someone. I was super excited to dog-sit Diesel from Saturday afternoon to Tuesday afternoon. I thought it would be a nice way to make some spending cash. Plus, this dog is great. Well, this was the worst dog-sitting experience ever. He has been sick since I arrived on Saturday, and his owners are in Boston. Saturday: I arrive at the house at 1pm. By 3pm, the dog is having diarrhea, and needs to go out every 2 hours. I had worked until 7am on Saturday, so I was planning on sleeping at Diesel's house because I had to be back at work for a 7pm - 7am shift later that day. Well, apparently Diesel couldn't hold it, and went at the bottom of the stairs. I called the owners, notified them, and left for work at 6pm. Sunday:I get back to Diesel's at 8am and he had shit all over his crate. His dog-walker came by to check on him over night, saw that he shat in the crate, and put him in the bathroom with the door closed, where he also shat all over. Mind you, the dog-walker didn't clean anything up. So after I clean up shit all over the house and the dog, he needs to go outside every 20 minutes from 8am - 1pm until finally I call the owners and ask if I can take him to the emergency vet. Only problem is I don't have a car and the vet is 10 miles away. So I call a friend, grab a stool sample, and we go to the vet for 4 hours. The vet decides to admit him for the night. I go home, sleep for 2 hours and then go to work. Monday:The vet calls and says that Diesel can be picked up at 7am, which is right when I leave work. So I borrow my roommate's car, drive down there, wait for an hour and a half just to check him out, and am given two different types of medication to give him a grand total of 5 times a day. I'm also supposed to be feeding him rice and meat for meals. You can bet I bought 90-second rice and pre-cooked chicken. So far the dog has been better today, but he's still a little sick, and I'm not looking forward to leaving him in his crate over night for fear of another mess in the morning. Also, I really want to sleep so badly. The good part is that the owners are so grateful and they want to reward me in some way, which at first I thought was ridiculous, but now I'm thinking...a car. Tomorrow is my last day with Diesel, and the only thing I have really come up with that has come out of this experience is that: If this is what having kids is like, I'll pass. | | Wednesday, May 21st, 2008 | | 12:13 am |
The Full Montefiore
WARNING: This is ridiculously geeky This was my favorite part of this year's medical student musical. They made a video as a supplement to one of the scenes, and it's sort of an ode to all of the different specialties of medicine. I'm not really sure if you'll get some of the doctor jokes, so here's an unofficial glossary of terms to read first before watching the video. Enjoy! Glossary: - WPIC: Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic (where I work). - fecolalia: joke combining the words feces and echolalia (which is repeating yourself over and over again involuntarily) - neologism: a word that was just recently created - rounding: when doctors first see all of the patients at once before creating treatment plans - lupus: auto-immune disorder often first discovered by a signature butterfly rash on the face - surgery dudes: stereotype that male surgeons are cocky meat-heads - attending: what you get to be after 4 years of medical school and 4 years of residency (interning) - trisomy 13: one of only 3 chromosomes that can have a mutation without killing a person - pathology: speciality where you look at dead people and tumors; stereotype that none of the other doctors ever see you because you're always looking at dead stuff - H&P: History and Physical - circle of Bruce: reference to the medical term "circle of Willis", which is the joining area of several arteries at the bottom of the brain - 2 Girls, 1 Cup: totally disgusting Youtube video involving girls eating poop | | Monday, May 12th, 2008 | | 12:15 am |
Here it goes again...
This winter and spring were exceptionally lazy for me. I only played tennis once a week, and I really cut down on the amount of walking I was doing. I feel pretty blah about my body right now. So what do we do when we feel blah? We change our habits! I'm leaving for Africa in 6 weeks, and there's a polka dot bikini that I really want to look cute in again for the beach. Granted, I don't know how much change I can make in 40 days, but I'll see what I can do. At first I thought I would join a gym, but I've decided to save my money and exercise for free instead. The 6-week Plan-Walk home from work every morning (that's 2.15 miles uphill x 4/week = about 50 miles of extra walking) -Take advantage of the free cardio videos from On-Demand -At home strength training exercises (crunches, pushups, squats) every other day. Last is the Total Food Makeover. Adjusting to a crazy hospital work schedule has been really difficult, but this is the perfect opportunity to organize when I eat and how I eat. The plan is to do some pretty massive grocery shopping for healthy, balanced foods, find some excellent recipes, and plan my meals every week. I'm only going to allow myself to go out to eat once a week and strongly limit my alcohol use. Why am I telling you this? Well, I figure if I make it public, I might actually do it. Also, I would really enjoy some cooking time with friends. It would be nice to encourage healthy habits in each other. Let me know if you would be interested in getting together for dinners and/or exercise. Here's to good changes! | | Thursday, May 1st, 2008 | | 1:11 am |
Spot on joke-making
So I'm having this bizarre complication with my Africa vaccinations, where I may not be able to get vaccinated for whooping cough. The reason is that whooping cough only comes mixed with tetanus, and I already had a tetanus booster a year ago. Apparently, getting tetanus shots too frequently can cause a pretty severe reaction. I'm supposed to consult my doctor now. He will ultimately decide if the risk of an adverse reaction to tetanus is smaller than my risk of getting whooping cough in Tanzania. The whole thing sort of seems like bullshit, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I called Neil this afternoon in case he has any helpful knowledge on whooping cough in Tanzania/at his specific site. Here's what he said... Neil: Hello? Me: Hi, Neil. Neil: Hi, Aimee. Me: I have a quick but weird question for you. Neil: Sure. What's up? Me: Do you know anything about the tendency for whooping cough to occur in your area? I may not be getting vaccinated for it. Neil: WHOOP! WHOOP! WHOOOOP! Me: Haha Neil! Neil: Oh sorry. I couldn't hear you because I was coughing so loudly. I love that Neil can make a complete joke out of my anxiety and everything seems okay afterwards. He really didn't know much about the disease, but said coughing isn't really an issue in his village, and I should be fine without the vaccination. I'm not sure that anecdotal evidence is enough to support a medical decision, but at least I feel better now. | | Monday, April 14th, 2008 | | 3:22 pm |
Sex and the City
Right..ummm...I'm gonna have to see this....like the second it comes out. |
[ << Previous 20 ]
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
chevrelait's journal
