Surgery No More

Mav just ended his surgery rotation.  Eight long weeks of surgery.  And he hated it!  I was so relieved.  Don't get me wrong, I would have supported his decision to be a surgeon.  But I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I was secretly rooting against it.  

I think all med students think of surgery as a specialty at some point in their schooling.  Mav did.  He thought trauma surgery would be cool.  And then he did this rotation. 

He hated the hours.  He never saw the light of day.  He hated that most of the residents were cocky and sometimes rude.  Maybe they were sleep deprived.  Who knows?  Mav hated just standing around in the O.R.  He hated that he couldn't scratch or itch anything, not even his nose.  It drove him nuts!  He's a baseball player and he is always scratching himself.  You see how that would be a big issue for him?

Mostly, he hates the lifestyle of a surgeon.  They work a lot.  And they need to work a lot.  Someone has to do all those surgeries.  Their residencies are long.  The hours are long.  The surgeries themselves are long. 

There are two things we've learned from this surgery.  One, Mav is not considering surgery at all.  Like he's not thrilled in the least bit to do a surgical sub-specialty for fourth year but he has to.  And two, kudos to surgeons and their families.  It's not an easy job and they probably don't get recognized for the sacrifice it takes to be a surgeon or the wife and family of a surgeon.  Kudos to you guys! 

No Homework!

Squeaks said a new word today.  Usually I'd be jumping with joy but today it made me sad.  She said homework.

This morning I sat grabbed my books and went to the kitchen table.  Before I could sit down, Squeaks was clawing up my leg screaming, "No!  No homework!" 

Sad, huh?  I've been doing a lot of homework lately.  I actually have two math units due tonight and Mav has his surgery shelf exam on Friday.  We've been doing a lot of studying around this house. 

Luckily, there's only six weeks left in the semester.  After that, I am Squeak's for the whole summer. 

And yes, I'm counting down!!

Party Like It's Your Birthday, Everyday!

Probably the most important thing I've learned from this whole med school experience is to party.  And there is ALWAYS a reason to party.  There's birthdays, holidays and so much more.

Super Bowl is a tradition in my family.  I don't remember, ever, not celebrating Super Bowl.  My family mostly watched it for the commercials.  Anyone remember the Budweiser Frogs?  Best commercials of all time! 

 Anyway, we would get together with friends and sit around the television chowing down on hot wings and other crap.  Good times I tell ya.

Mav comes from a sports family.  They watch the game.  And the commercials.  They actually watch the whole season and do a fantasy league.  Did I mention I was second this year?  Yup, the first loser.  All of us get to hear Mav's old man brag about it for a whole year.  

So what happens when you put Mav and I together?  You get one heck of a Super Bowl party.

When we moved to St Louis, we started a tradition for a lot of our new friends.  Some of them knew of football and a few weren't even sure when Super Bowl was but none of them had been to a Super Bowl party.

Our party rocks.  You'd be surprised how many friends you make when you put together food and football.  In years past, we've had probably 20 adults in our home.  This year there was 13.  It's a new tradition for a lot of our friends now. 

My advice, find every good reason to have a party.  And don't forget the food.  Good food is a must.


If you want a super, top secret recipe that the guys always request, read on.