I know that I haven't been great about blogging lately. In all honesty, I have been fairly stressed - I have the Oral portion of my Thoracic boards coming up and I have been busier than usual at work. Greater than normal stress tends to make me grumpy. I recognize this about myself, and try to minimize the collateral damage by sequestering myself. The less external interactions, the less I have to apologize for when my stress levels recede. Boards are over June 11th, so hopefully this latest high tide is almost over.
However, I can't help but to vent a little. I have tried to keep an open mind about life in Miami. My Spanish grows daily and I am truly happy about it. However, I have my limits. I walked into ABP this morning to grab a cup of coffee. As usual, the lady behind the counter greeted me in Spanish and asked what I wanted. Per norm, I responded in English. Usually this is where the person behind the counter fluidly switches to English, and we have no issues. Not so much this morning.
Turns out the person working behind the counter spoke barely enough English to tell me that she couldn't speak English. Seriously? If you choose to live in this country without learning the language - your decision. Who am I to judge? HOWEVER, if you plan to work in this country at a job that requires you to interact with the public (i.e. Americans living in the country of their birth), I don't think it is too much to ask that you speak the language. I'm not asking for Shakespeare, but conversational English should be a prerequisite. If I moved to Germany, I would attempt to learn German before I went to work. Perhaps that is just me. Okay, I will step off my soap box now and go back to studying. Less grumpy me will hopefully show her face again soon.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
OCD check
I used to laugh at my friends who cleaned up before the cleaning lady came over. . . now I totally get it. It is not just that you don't want someone to see how much of a slob you can really be when left to your own devices although that is a motivator. Mostly it is just that I want her to dust, mop and clean the showers. She shouldn't be wasting her time picking up my dirty laundry or loading my dishwasher. Those are the easy tasks that I can accomplish.
My behavioral concern is different. While I will now accept that it is "normal" behavior to clean for the cleaning lady, is it normal behavior to spend an hour after she leaves putting everything back where it belongs? I'm not talking about moving heavy pieces of furniture or even trash cans. I mean doing silly things like re-centering the candle on the table, or moving the picture an inch to the right, or re-stacking the magazines because they are no longer stacked exactly the way I had them.
I long ago accepted that I am a little Obsessive Compulsive, but always felt that I stopped short of disorder. Not so sure I still fall short. This can't be good - think I'll go wash my hands again.
My behavioral concern is different. While I will now accept that it is "normal" behavior to clean for the cleaning lady, is it normal behavior to spend an hour after she leaves putting everything back where it belongs? I'm not talking about moving heavy pieces of furniture or even trash cans. I mean doing silly things like re-centering the candle on the table, or moving the picture an inch to the right, or re-stacking the magazines because they are no longer stacked exactly the way I had them.
I long ago accepted that I am a little Obsessive Compulsive, but always felt that I stopped short of disorder. Not so sure I still fall short. This can't be good - think I'll go wash my hands again.
Monday, May 10, 2010
La Gripe
The Miami word for cold is La Gripe. I like it. It sounds much more sinister than a common cold, and sinister is definitely what I had. Shortly after my last post, I spent 12 hours in the OR with a lung transplant. The next day I had a scratchy throat, but shrugged it off as no sleep. By Friday, I was officially sick. I had the fever, cough, chest congestion, runny nose whole shebang. There were even three days where I had no voice! As hard as that may be for you to imagine, it was even harder for me to live through.
The worst part was that all of my colleagues were in Toronto at the AATS. I had no choice but to come to work each day and actually work. The last 10 days will definitely not go into my highlight reel of favorite moments, but I survived (as thankfully did my patients). I still have a runny nose and an annoying cough, but I think the worse of La Gripe has past.
Now I have to face the terrible reality of my Thoracic Oral boards being only a month away. Time to buckle down and remember where the heart actually lives. I see a few more sleepless nights in my immediate future.
To all friends in Nashville, my thoughts and prayers have been, and will continue to be with you all.
The worst part was that all of my colleagues were in Toronto at the AATS. I had no choice but to come to work each day and actually work. The last 10 days will definitely not go into my highlight reel of favorite moments, but I survived (as thankfully did my patients). I still have a runny nose and an annoying cough, but I think the worse of La Gripe has past.
Now I have to face the terrible reality of my Thoracic Oral boards being only a month away. Time to buckle down and remember where the heart actually lives. I see a few more sleepless nights in my immediate future.
To all friends in Nashville, my thoughts and prayers have been, and will continue to be with you all.
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