Snopacalypse 2014

Obviously, I'm no longer in the southeast.  As a result, I've missed the most recent snowpacalypse that laid waste to traffic in GA.  Seems that friends and family from Atlanta all have horror stories of how bad everything was.  Glad I didn't have to be a part of it.

My folks let me know that they had broken out the snowshoes and decided to traipse around.  Although I'm not sure that less than 3 inches of snow really qualifies as an adequate base for using said snowshoes, they had a good time.  At the risk of alienating them (or angering them), I received the following image from their jaunt and thought I'd share.

I've never been snowshoeing and don't claim to be an expert but something seems a little odd about the photo.  Mom might be doing it wrong.

So Long To Pinky, Here Comes The Thumb.

...and it's nearly December.  Seriously, I cannot cannot cannot believe how quickly the time has flown since the semester started.  We've completed Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Renal, Hematology/Oncology, and looking to wrap up GI in the next few weeks. Here's a very, very brief recap of some of the goings-on since my crazy-assed neighbor decided to rappel from her balcony on Christmas lights...

I'm a Professional Twice Over

For Halloween, several of us decided to dress as the cast of Arrested Development.  The "costume contest" took place during a pot-luck luncheon at school prior to an interactive session.  I went as Tobias Funke.  Initially, I dressed in cords, a funky shirt, and Birkenstocks but quickly stripped down to "never nude" attire.

David Cross as Tobias Funke

from "Arrested Development"

After winning the costume contest, I attended class in costume.  I must say that being mostly naked in class (and being called on to stand and answer a question) was as near as I'll get to realizing the recurring nightmare of being in class naked.  My wife was so proud, she cried tears of "joy" as she tried to remove her wedding ring.

The Best Week of Medical School I've Experienced

As part of our clinical skills training, we worked an emergency case on a simulated patient or Sim Man.  The whole thing was pretty intense as, despite our efforts, it desaturated and was transported to the ICU after we intubated it.  Still, I walked away from it thrilled to be a medical student and anticipating the applied practice of medicine instead of the didactics.  Later that week, I passed my tests with flying colors.  Generally, I felt pretty good about myself and my performance as a student which, based on how the semester has gone thus far, has been a pretty fleeting feeling for most of my classmates.

Snow-Drive

A couple of weeks ago, I went to Seattle to visit Winning Run and accompany her to a dinner party hosted by a coworker friend.  I applaud wonderful food and great conversation but, shit, dinner parties should be fun and not so damned serious or pretentious.  At first, I thought we wandered into some sort of liberalism pissing contest that delved in and out of "foodie-ism" which, by all accounts, can be equally pretentious.  Luckily, libations seemed to loosen everyone up, make the gang more approachable, and the conversation a little more organic and natural.

The next day, at Dick's Drive-In, Bill Gates pulled into the parking lot and stood in line behind us.  This is the absolute, honest truth.  We noticed him, confirmed that it was him, and decided to just let him have a little peace.  Plus, I was convinced that had I attempted to speak to him and shake his hand, a sniper would've taken me out on the spot.

Once again, I was reminded that I'm no longer in the southeast with my drive back from Seattle.  I had to go by chains for my car to get over the pass and had an amazingly terrifying drive (for me).  After getting over Snoqualmie Pass, the rest of my drive was spent in blinding snowfall with accumulation on the road.  In the silence of my car, I kept repeating part of a Samuel Jackson monologue from "Pulp Fiction," telling myself aloud that I was like a little Fonzie:  "And what's Fonzie like?" "He's cool?" "That's right, he's cool."
On successfully making it back, I noticed that my ass had been clinched so tight that I'd drawn up my seat into a permanent cone, an inverse vortex, a physical sign of my stress.

Thanksgiving

Winning Run made it in on Thanksgiving morning.  That afternoon, we had dinner with several classmates and their families.  In all, it was pretty fun and nice to be away from the books for a little bit.  Now, it's just a downhill slide to holiday break before the uphill climb to the work of next semester, boards, and rotations. Yippee.

Ski Trip Revisited

After a few days of rest and rehab, I was able to get back out onto the mountain. The doctor told me that if I fell with the cast, it would "hurt like hell but I wouldn't do further damage." Armed with that knowledge, I approached the mountain like a frightened child. During the first few hours of being back on the slopes, I wiped out hard on a crunchy patch of snow. The doctor was right, it hurt really, really bad. In retrospect, this was just what I needed. After taking the spill and feeling the pain, I got back up on and tried it again. Within a couple of days, I was on black diamond runs and boarding with confidence. I managed to make it back to Blue Ox, the double diamond, one of my favorite runs at Vail. I tried to use a helmet cam to get footage of my final run down Blue Ox but, alas, due to user error and/or poor batteries, the camera didn't get it. Bummer.

Although Hot Rod and I were the only ones with lasting damage, it seems like most everyone on the trip took a spill or two. Here's a photo of Jazzy in the middle of a blink-and-you-miss-it tumble on Blue Ox. He was back up and cruising within a second. Even though it betrays his prowess on the slopes, this photo of him makes me laugh.

It looks much worse than it was.

Detailed view of the impact zone.

Can't wait to get back out there.

Always Bet On Black

Got the cast put on today. Because I'll need to wear it for a few weeks, I opted for black: it goes with everything.

Getting ready for the cast.

The application of the Gore-Tex sleeve.

Putting on the fiberglass.

Adding the finishing touches.
Becoming indestructible.

Things You Cannot Easily Do Without Your Dominant Hand

• Type
• Read a book
  
• Open a bottle of beer
• Put on / take off clothes
• Wipe after pooping
• Pull up pants and boxers after pooping
• Take a leak
• Tie shoes
• High five
• Throw anything
• Shower
• Scoop ice cream
• Eat
• Drive a car ... in the snow
• Get out your wallet
• Fight a snowbo (snowbo = hobo who camps near ski area)

Vail Exacts a Price in Blood

So, I'm here in Avon, CO for my annual snowboarding trip with the gang. We've returned to the scene of Winning Run's knee injury. Evidently, the mountains here have some blood feud with us because it has taken its vengeance out on me this time.

Yesterday, we went to Vail after spending some of Wednesday at Beaver Creek. The conditions were great: sunny, packed powder, not too crowded. We returned to one of our favorite runs, a double black diamond called Blue Ox. It's pretty steep in a few spots and thrilling to ski.

A view up Blue Ox.

Anywho, near the end of the day, we decided to head to Vail's enormous back bowls for a few runs before the lifts closed. In what would prove to be a regrettable choice, we hit Marmot Valley, a black diamond mogul run. During the run, I caught my board's heel edge on a mogul and fell ass-over-tea kettle backwards. I heard a crunch like someone snapping a celery stalk and immediately felt searing pain in my right wrist.

I should avoid these in the future.

A moment later, Rodney skied up and asked if I was okay.

"Nope," I said. "I just broke my f*ing wrist."

After trying (and failing) to board out, I took off my board and climbed down the hill to the lift. I uncinched my gloves and wrist guards to have a look. Sure enough, the wrist was swelling in a pretty little lump above my thumb.

"Damn it. Maybe it's just sprained," I remarked to Rodney and Jeff.

"Maybe," they said.

Because we were on the back side of the mountain, we had to take a lift out. Then, I tracked down the ski patrol for a snowmobile ride to the gondola which took me to the base. From there, I hopped a shuttle back to our car to meet up with the gang and make the 20 minute drive back to Avon and the urgent care facility.

I was quickly seen and x-rayed. The doctor showed me the ray and pointed out the minuscule fracture. He told me that if I weren't doing snow sports, he'd send me home with a removable splint that I'd wear until I could do push-ups without pain. Because I was on a snowboard trip, however, they'd splint my arm for a few days until the swelling went down. Then, if I wanted, I could come back in to get a cast put on so that I could get back on the mountain and snowboard. Prior to leaving, I could come back in to get it cut off and replaced with a removable splint.

"Is that something you'd like to do?," the doctor asked.

"Absolutely," I told him with a huge smile. "I didn't come out here to sit around."

"Very good," he said. "We'll get you fixed up and see you on Sunday for the cast."

"Sweet. Thanks very much," I beamed.

Out-of commission for 72 hours until I get my cast.

So, now I need to figure out what color cast to get put on. I'm thinking hot pink.

For the record, I think that this was a freak sort of accident in which I fell in exactly the right way to do damage. Without the wrist guards that I always wear, I might be looking at a pretty serious break with no chance to get back out there.

Dylan's Rough Month + Ski Trip Bonanza + Rejections!

Our poor dog has been having a bit of a rough month. I suppose that, in dog years, he's entering his awkward teens. A few weeks ago, my wife took him to the park for a walk and to run with other neighborhood dogs. He loves it. It's nice to see him in a pack, running, wrestling, and having a blast. As is normally the case, Dylan is a lot faster than most of the dogs with which he plays. If they're running, he'll be a few paces ahead of them and will be looking back at them while he sprints.

On several occasions in the past, he nearly mangled my leg but crashing into me because he wasn't watching where he was going. I'd always limp off and, in a few paces, I'd be fine. He, of course, was never any worse for the wear...until a couple of weeks ago.

He was running full speed (which is blazing) and was looking at the dogs behind him. Unfortunately, he didn't see the mature tree in his path. At full throttle, he plows into it, leading with his right eye. The impact lifted him off the ground and spun him around a few times before he landed. Other than being really scratched up around his eye, he was fine.

The Mighty Oak, 1. Dylan, 0.

So, about a week ago, I was heading out to Colorado to snowboard. On the day I was to fly out, my wife was scheduled to return from a business trip in the late evening. Rather than board the dog overnight, we dropped him off at our friend's place so he could play with her dog, Moses. No worries, right?

Wrong. Turns out that Dylan found something on which to severely cut his foot. Because neither of us were in town, our friend "R" ended up taking him to the emergency vet clinic to get the wound glued back together. Later, Kim takes him back to the vet on a follow-up visit. Turns out that the wound is slightly infected. As a result, the beast got limited outdoor activity, a healthy course of antibiotics, and daily trips to the vet for bandage changes and wound inspections. On Valentine's Day, he got an especially festive bandage. We, as expected, got stuck with the bill.

Dylan feels the shame of a Valentine's Day bandage.

Ski Trip Bonanza
On the 7th, I flew out for a ski trip to Steamboat, Colorado. They are having a ridiculous snow year. While we were there, I think it snowed close to 20 inches. Not too shabby! Here's the best kept secret about Steamboat: If you fly Delta into the Hayden airport from either ATL or SLC and you're a SkyMiles member, you can get a free lift ticket on the day of your arrival by showing your boarding pass at the ticket window. Holy smokes, nothing compares to getting off the plane and getting on the slopes within a couple of hours. It was fantastic.

Ready to hit the powder.

We covered most of the mountain. I think my favorite run was one called Middle Rib. It was steep and isolated. When we did it, were were the only ones on the run. You start out in a wooded area and make your way to a great overlook of Steamboat Springs.

Beware of deadly tree wells.

The view from the mountain top.

Beautiful seclusion.

Self-portrait.

Honestly, I boarded my ass off. I've been back for a few days but my knees are still sore and aching. I wish I was back out there. For more of my photos of the trip, click here.

Rejections!
So, in the land of good times and great fun, let me add a little seriousness. Cross one more school off of my list: Medical College of Georgia. As I suspected, they're not interested in me this year. Damn you, MCAT, damn you!!!

Ahh, the delicious taste of rejection.

Still awaiting word from Mercer. Turns out they have until 30 March to notify me of an acceptance. How I wish it were May 30 or even July 30!

Fleeing the Blizzard

After listening to media reports of the impending blizzard that was to hit Atlanta, I retreated to the safe room in our house. Since mid-day, I've been here in the cold, impenetrable shelter. I only hope that I've stocked the shelter with enough canned food to sustain us through what will inevitably be the decent from civilized society into lawlessness. By now, I assume that there must be at least 8" to 10" inches of snow coverage, yielding most automobiles useless and stranding everyone. Before retreating from the mayhem, we took the dog out for a last minute hunt. At the very least, I'd hoped to get some squirrels to sustain us through what will surely be weeks without power or contact with the outside world. Unfortunately, Dylan likes only to retrieve snowballs. So, friends, in addition to our stockpiles of canned beans and tins of tuna, we will have a stock of snow to melt for water.

Instead of large game, Dylan chose to hunt only snowballs.

Wish us luck in surviving Winter Storm 2008.