It was Sunday funday with Dr. Hottie today. A whole day off + sun + 60 degrees = outdoor excursion. The last several weeks we've been sticking close to home, so today we decided to head to Antelope Island- a quick 1 hour drive from SLC. It is the largest island in the Great Salt Lake, and has miles upon miles of running/hiking trails. The most popular hike is up to highest point of the island, Frary Peak. You hike up 2,000ft in 3 miles- the views are well worth the butt buster on the way up. At the top, we stopped for some lunch & then headed back downhill. The landscape is quite different than the Wasatch mountains, and is a great spring hike option while the snow continues to melt up at higher elevations.
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Last fall, I made an early new year's resolution- don't talk sh** about other women- and in fact go out of my way to support them. It was inspired by a great blog post by Peanut Butter Runner. I, admittedly, used to be the girl who said, "Most of my friends are guys because girls are too catty". Several months ago though, my thinking started to evolve from this viewpoint. You see- I too have a vagina and by calling other women catty I was really putting myself down. Just like men, women represent a huge spectrum of personalities. We often times get labeled as emotional, cliquey, dependent, and bitchy. More often than not, these labels are untrue and the sad thing is a lot of women are helping to enforce this stereotype by not being supportive of other girls out there. Having been back in the customer service/retail world for a couple months now, I've been strongly reminded of my resolution. I've helped the bad ass chick I would want to have a beer with, as well as the stereotypical mean girl. I'm a much happier person after enacting the "support women" resolution. A friend once told me, "celebrate the character". When I meet other women that are much different than myself, I will remind myself to celebrate the character rather than be so darn critical. So if you're a girl and you're reading this- please consider supporting the female sex rather than reinforcing hurtful stereotypes. In life news, Dr.H celebrated his 31st birthday last week. There were presents, cake, sunshine, and hiking! With modern technology, when the pager goes off so does the cell phone. I didn't know cell phones could make that high pitched annoying beeping sound- but yes, indeed they can. The benefit of pagers to Dr.H is clear- a quick and necessary form of communication meant to help patients and medical staff. But for the following 2 reasons, pagers are my enemy:
1) It wakes me up in the middle of the night- many times more than once- for NO good reason. To explain- Dr.H may order a CT scan at 4pm...at 10pm the scan happens...at 11pm the radiology resident looks at who ordered the scan and pages Dr.H. The thing is, when Dr.H leaves work he signs out to another general surgery resident- they take care of the same patients. I'm guessing it wouldn't take long for the staff to glance at the schedule to see who is currently at the hospital. I can't tell you how many times Dr.H calls back to staff and says, "oh can you call Dr.Blank-he/she is the one on call". Apparently, doctors and nurses are smart enough to save lives- but updating and checking schedules- simple organization- forget it. 2) I have to share my husband with it for the next several DECADES. You may wonder why we're escaping to the woods of the appalachian trail in June- pagers and cell phones don't work out there- HAHA! Family may be Dr.H's #1 priority, but if he's on call and the pager goes off- doesn't matter if its a birthday party, school play, crying baby, or holiday family gathering- he's off to care for patients. Talk about a lesson in humility and understanding. I may have to understand, but I don't have to like that **** pager. This week we went to the Banff Film Festival on the University of Utah campus. I first heard about it from a friend who went to a screening in Madison last year- it sounded amazing and I was sold. Its a series of short films all of which have an outdoor/adventure/sports theme. My favorite film was The Sufferfest. It was about 2 friends who decided to free climb all the 14,000 foot peaks in CA...and the kicker was they rode their bikes in between each peak. At one point in the film they were asked, "are you having fun?". They admitted that, no, they weren't having what you would refer to as traditional "fun", but there should be different definitions of fun- like type 2 or type 3 fun. Often times, a physical challenge is not your typical fun time - but I'm absolutely a fan of the type of fun that involves a bit of suffering- lets call it type 2 fun.
In line with the alternative fun theme- Dr.H & I have both scheduled a week of vacation together in early June. We are planning a section hike in the Great Smoky Mountains- Newfound Gap to Davenport Gap- a total of ~30miles. It's supposed to be one of the most beautiful sections of the Appalachian Trail- it could be rainy, humid, and buggy but I'm ready to embrace a bit of type 2 fun! With any new job comes stress, lots of learning, and feeling inefficient. Apparently that led to no blogging. Well, here's to getting back on the horse. Valentines weekend was amazing. You'd think I would have some story of Dr. Hottie working late and me sitting home alone- but we got really lucky this year. On Thursday night I made Dr.H dinner- a beef stew with root vegetables. On Friday, Dr. H took Step 3 of his Board exams and was done around 3pm. I worked late, and upon getting home he had cleaned, made dinner, and bought flowers- talk about a nice surprise! Saturday night we went to dinner at a cute little place- Avenues Bistro on Third. We had driven by several times and envied all the folks inside this cozy place so we finally took the plunge and went ourselves. Sunday we had a big bottling day...8 gallons of booze worth. 4 gallons of apple wine and 4 gallons of plumb wine. It was my first time acting as assistant- and according to Dr.H there will be more brewing and bottling in my future! Shame on me. I've been blogging for 5+ months and have yet to post a blog on the medical mondays blog hop. That changes today! The 1st monday of each month, any person in or associated with the medical field can link up a blog about medical life. My 1st post is a little yin and yang. The good first. Dr.H and I enjoyed 2 full and glorious weekend days together. We went snowshoeing, hosted a party, went cross-country skiing, slept in, and I can honestly say I appreciated every minute. The reason why 2 days together was so amazing brings up the bad. It won't be happening again in the foreseeable future. Definitely not Feb, probably not March, maybe not April... you get the picture. Oh well- no use in throwing myself a pity party- except I already kind of did...oops. What I really want to get to the bottom to today is- medical talk at parties. Our weekend party was doctors, nurses, and a handful of non-medical spouses. Surgeons in training LOVE to talk about surgery and ok...everything that has to do with work! If there are any non-medical significant others out there- please PLEASE what are some tips on how to divert the conversation?? Is there any hope, or do I simply have to leave the room when I've had enough? With most of the country experiencing some VERY cold temperatures, I wanted to share my favorite winter running clothes with you all. The coldest temps I've ever ran in is -10F with the wind chill. Usually, my limit is 10F. My favorite type of winter run is on relatively fresh snow pack (the kind that crunches under your feet); my least favorite would be one that involves lots of ice. Let's start with the extremities (head, hands, feet). HEAD: No matter how cold it is, I always go with ear warmers over a full hat. This is personal preference, but I always overheat if my head is fully covered. The ear warmers I use are Nike brand. You can't really go wrong with ear warmers- go with ones that have a fleece lining and are a little wider in the middle to be sure they cover your ears. I go with ear warmers if the temp is at or below 25F- but they are easy to take off and stuff in a pocket if you get too warm. When running at night, I go with a Sigma headlamp. It's one of the cheaper ones, and is quite bulky but safety first! If you have the $ to splurge I would get a light-weight headlamp from Black Diamond. HANDS: With temps at or below 25F, I go with my Brooks mittens. There is a fleece-lined mitten inside of the weather-resistant outer mitten lining. My hands stay warm even in temps as low as 10F in these. If temps are between 25-40F, I go with Saucony gloves. They are light but do the trick and hold up well. FEET: For cold temps, I go with a crew sock for a bit more coverage. My favorite winter sock are Balega socks with a blend of merino wool. If you have unsure footing on snow/ice, there are a number of additions you can put on your shoe to increase traction. If you go to your local running store, they can help you find the best kind for you. I go with ones that have mostly rubber traction with 6 spikes. The type and brand can vary greatly depending on personal preference and where you live (i.e.- type or terrain you run on). Moving on to core. BASE LAYERS: I have accumulated quite the collection of base layers over the years. Two of my favorites are a Craft base layer and a 1/2 zip fleece-lined North Face base layer. If temps are upper 30s-50F, I will go with only a base layer (no jacket). The key for choosing a base layer is to make sure the material is moisture wicking. If temps are colder, fleece-lining can give you a bit more added warmth and insulation. JACKET: I have only 1 running jacket. I run anywhere from 1-4x/week and my Craft jacket has been with me since 2008! It's still in good shape. I can't say enough good things about Craft products (and not just because I'm Swedish). They are pricey but well worth it because of the return on quality of material and longevity of the product. As far as jackets, look for something that is relatively water-resistant (if its snowing, you don't want the jacket to soak up the moisture). My jacket is good at keeping out wind and water, and has lots of good pockets. If you have a good base layer on, you don't need the jacket to be super warm. I wear a base layer + jacket in temps from 10F-35F. Last but not least-
LEGS: If temps are 35-50F I go with capris (favorite brands include adidas, saucony, lululemon, athleta). In temps below 35, I go with a full leg tight. Look for tights with a fleece lining, moisture-wicking outer material, small zip pockets, and most importantly- a drawstring! My favorite full-length running tight are a pair of Mizunos. They have lasted 5+ years, and stand really well in the wash. Collecting good running gear can be pricey, but once you have a 1-2 outfits they last for years! Happy almost February- one month closer to spring! If you are in the midwest experiencing the polar vortex- I'm sending warm weather thoughts your way. I certainly don't miss trudging through campus in sub-zero wind chills. The recap of the last few days-
Dr. Hottie has been working- A LOT! His day yesterday- 4am alarm- leave house by 4:45am- get home at 7:30pm- eat dinner & chat with me from 7:30-8:15pm- make a few calls/texts to fellow residents 8:15-8:30pm- finally 8:30-9:30pm study cases that will be reviewed in a meeting the next day- 9:30pm PASS OUT! Thank goodness he has this weekend off to catch up some much needed sleep. With a husband who works that much I'm happy to be starting a job on Friday at Salt Lake Running Company! It's been voted one of the 50 best running stores in America 8 years in a row. I'm certainly excited for the opportunities it will provide. I made it all of 3 weeks before having a mini breakdown about the lack of a job. Turns out when you have little $$, no kids, & no unemployed friends a lot of free time is not all that fun. Enjoy a few life pictures! I love to read about and meet strong female role models. Whether it be in the workplace or in athletics, female role models inspire me to keep pushing even when I feel like giving up. One of my favorites is Jennifer Pharr Davis. She owns the overall assisted thru-hike record for the Appalachian Trail. She hiked the 2,181 mile trail in 46 days and change- an average of 46.9 miles per day! I still can't wrap my head around that. I've read both of her books- Becoming Odyssa & Called Again. In Called Again, she writes about her record thru-hike, which she did with the amazing support of her husband, Brew. She had incredibly insightful passages about love and relationships.
Today, Jennifer had a blog reviewing a business book she had recently read- Lean In- by Sheryl Sandberg. In it, Sheryl discusses women, the workplace, marriage, and parenting. One idea she brings up is to approach balance and marriage as a pendulum vs. an evenly split pie. The pendulum idea really stuck with me. Medical marriage- assuming the significant other is not also in medicine - is very much a pendulum. For the training years, the pendulum has paused on the side of Dr.H. Last March, we opened an envelope telling us where to go for the next 6 years. We moved our lives (happily but afraid) and Dr.H was quickly swept into the brother/sisterhood of general surgery residency. In essence, Dr.H had a foundation with which to build his house on & I'm building my house one painful lego piece at a time. Although we have what I would call a "contemporary" marriage, there is no 50/50 split of chores, cooking, paying bills, etc. & when kids enter the picture I will be the main caretaker. Instead of viewing the marriage as a balance where Dr.H's needs will always be weighted more, I choose to view it as a pendulum. I know without my support, Dr.H's training years would be more difficult. I also know, the pendulum will likely swing back the other direction in the coming years- whether it be a certain destination, a specific house, or care taking. So, thank you Sheryl Sandberg- for helping me move past the 50-50 pie idea- which is totally unrealistic in a medical marriage. Here's to the pendulum brining more peace of mind to the medical S.O's out there. My posts in the last 1+ month have focused on general life happenings- well, because there have been a lot of life changes! Today, I want to get back to medical blogging. One of Dr. Hottie's friends who is a 4th year medical student recently posted on Facebook, "Done with residency interviews!" What an accomplishment- depending on the specialty this could have included 10+ interviews all over the country. Dr.H did 13 interviews for General Surgery, and I would like to outline our experience between finishing the last interview, submitting the rank list, and getting to match day in a somewhat healthy manner. This is from the perspective of the spouse of a medical student, and is specific to our experience and specialty.
Dr. H had his 1st interview towards the end of October and his last one towards the end of January. The rank list was due mid-February, and match day was mid-March. About 1/2 way to 2/3 through his interviews we started to draft an informal rank list. As he completed the back 1/2 of his interviews we would edit the rank list as needed. I think, especially as a spouse, the hardest part of the process was feeling a lack of control. In typical job interview situations, you get a yes or no from all prospective jobs and make a decision based on the yes places. In residency, you don't have the luxury of definitely knowing how your highly ranked programs ranked you. However, there were a few strategies we employed to get the most control we could in an otherwise risky process. Dr. H made an effort to let his top 4 programs know he was extremely interested and highly impressed with them. UT was his #1 choice- he went on that interview in late October. In mid-January, he connected with a mentor/attending at UW-Madison who had done his residency at UT and still had connections there. The mentor made a call on Dr.H's behalf to someone at UT involved in the interview process. The mentor basically said, Dr. H really liked the UT program- I think he would be a good fit there. The interviewer basically said, that's great to hear we really liked him too. In early February, after we decided on our final rank list, Dr. H emailed the program director informing them, "I loved the program, and have ranked it #1." This is by no means mandatory, and it is illegal for programs to directly ask a medical student how high he/she has ranked their program. But, if you have definitely made up your mind, you are free to disclose that information. I have no idea if it made a difference. We only took the advice of Dr. H's mentors and older medical student friends who had gone through the process as well. For his #2-#4 programs he sent an email to the program directors expressing his interest, and saying he planned to rank the program high on his list. Do not, in any circumstance, tell a program you will rank it #1 if you don't plan on doing so! Most specialties are small and this could come back to bite you in the future when applying to fellowships, etc. He received an email in return from his #2 program saying "we liked you too". His #3 was Madison, and he already knew everyone so that was a bit different. We didn't hear anything back from his #4 choice. In terms of other programs, he received a couple hand-written notes and one phone call. So, in our experience we either got positive feedback or no feedback. The hardest part is not really knowing what "we really like you too" actually means. After the rank list was submitted, we did the best we could to stay distracted. We did some weekend trips, Dr. H was on an away rotation, and I did A LOT of running/swimming/yoga to help me sleep at night. Again, this is only our experience and can vary widely depending on specialty. Talking to mentors and former medical students is the most advantageous thing you can do! If you're currently going or will go through the process I wish you the best of luck! The medical spouses I know are resilient, flexible people and have the amazing ability to make most any situation work. |