if you are anything like me (or my family), we love year-in-review things. usa today did a pretty good recap. i had forgotten about some of the events....i just wish they would include more positive events too!


http://www.usatoday.com/news/2009-12-20-decade-in-review_N.htm

for me, without thinking too long, a few things stick out for me from 2000-2009...

--the fun that comes with college as well as wonderful friends and professors
--grad school...and finishing it!
--beginnings and ends of relationships
--generosity of others
--an amazing first job and the ability to be a part of people's difficult circumstances
--going to greece with my family
--the opportunity for my grandparents to live close by

what stands out for you in the last decade?

this is in chicago with kathi and sarah (PA school friends). please excuse the huge forehead and glazed look. merideth was about a foot away from my face while taking this picture!

we hit downtown chicago....

if you are going to celebrate christmas anywhere, it should be in chicago!

proof that it did "snow" in houston!

another gym musing.

okay, a few months ago i wrote about the new gym that i was forced into paying through the nose to attend. see the post: http://triforpancan.blogspot.com/2009/06/naked-meter.html


i have some more antidotes today...let me set the scene:


the clock says 5:30 AM and everyone is getting on their spinning bikes. the skinny blond that leads the class comments that "the other gym i teach at is much more friendly than this crowd". okay...thanks. another spinner, the teacher, and myself start dialoging about it and they both conclude right off the bat that it is because this gym is by the med center and the other has a lot of oil and gas employees.


so, we start spinning and then entire time all i can think about is my sore gluteous maximus from the day before and why my gym is "unfriendly".


i have some theories:

1. it isn't really our gym, just the fact that she teaches in the evening at the other gym. people that exercise in the morning aren't looking to be noticed.....afternoon people...well, look at the prevalence of greasy hair in the morning and make up in the afternoon. it just isn't fair.


2. really....who wants to have long drawn out conversations at 5 or 5:30 in the morning? it would distract us from sweating which is why we set our alarm for that early!! we are focused.


3. the occupation difference really might matter. if the majority of people at my gym work in health care, they probably know they are going to be talking all day....about important things. the oil and gas people are likely thankful to talk to people since they will be stuck in the cubicle.

overall, i guess i better be a little friendlier. it doesn't hurt....people can run from my greasy hair and goodwill shirts if i disgust them too much!

Video link

Hi all. I'm going to place a link to the website of The Village Church.

I listen to a number of podcasts on a regular basis and one of them is Matt Chandler's messages from The Village Church. He is sometimes controversial, but he speaks honestly and about Truth. They just found a brain tumor and he had surgery last week. This is a message that he recorded before going into surgery. May we all have the strength and faith that he possesses.

http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/blog/pastors/

exciting announcement....

i'm going on a trip. i know you aren't surprised by that, but the location might be surprising! I'm going to Niger, Africa. It looks like I will be leaving February 25th and returning March 21st. It certainly isn't written in stone until I get a visa and a plane ticket!



For those of you that need a little geography refreshment, please see below:





Niger (actually pronounced with a French accent) is just north of the more commonly known country, Nigeria. French is the national language, although the majority of people speak one of the native dialects. It is one of the hottest countries in the worldd. Note, the location relative to the Sahara desert below:



I'm going through an organization called Medical Teams International that partners with non-profit organizations around the world. They try to help fill temporary needs for medical providers. A lot of organizations haven't found that wonder of PAs yet in international medicine!


The organization that is in Niger is SIM (Serving in Missions). They have a hospital in Galmi, Niger. It is approximately 6 hours by bus from the capital of Niamey.

Of course I have done research....below are some websites showing the sobering statistics related to this country. On the Human Development Index (HDI), they are dead last in the world. Their women have the highest birth rate as well...I have seen a couple stats. One said 7.5 kids/woman and another at 8.5 kids/woman. Overall, a lot of kids! Another interesting stat is that 50% of the population is age 15 or under. Crazy!

http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/

http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/country_fact_sheets/cty_fs_NER.html

flights!

so, a couple weeks ago i realized that my continental flights toward the end of the year wouldn't count toward delta/northwest frequent flyer elite status. this didn't bother me too much until i realized that i was 15 miles short of elite status this year.....15 miles! After thousands of miles and 2 additional continental flights that now don't count....crazy. i sent an e-mail to delta proclaiming my loyalty, but they shot me down.

so...i decided to book an extra ticket in order to get the miles. i fly enough that the extra mileage next year and the free baggage could pay off. i also found an old $60 voucher and used that to take the pain away. so, i'm going to be on the plan a lot the next couple weeks.

here is my itinerary:

Chicago----this Friday night through Sunday night to visit Merideth. yippee!!

Atlanta----next Saturday, the 19th...i'm flying out at 9:30 and i'll be back in houston around 3:20. obviously, this was the added flight.

Detroit---for Christmas, of course!

at the end of the year, i always calculate how much i spend on student loans, tithing and charitable donations, and flights. those are BY FAR my greatest expenses....actually, student loans blows everything out of the water!

the trip to atlanta at least allows me to read a good book all day!

10 Most Influential Books

okay, i have loved reading my entire life. it did take a back seat during undergrad and grad school, but i'm back in prime form. yesterday was super dreary in houston so i spent a lot of time in Barnes and Noble (and then I went to the library and got the books I was interested in there!) this made me think about the most loved books that i have read so far. it is difficult to come up with a list and i haven't thought about it too long....this is what I have so far. they are listed in no specific order.

1. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

This is my favorite book from early high school. It is a coming of age story that, in my opinion, is not rivaled by any other book. If you are going to read it, remember that it is a little slow initially as there is a lot of character development!

2. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

This might not have made the list last year, but after seeing where she hid out, I'm forever moved. It is a simple, honest description from a young girl in one of the worst times in history. Also, you should read Night by Elie Wiesel.
3. The Challenge of Missions by Oswald J. Smith

Every list should have something by an Oswald! This small book was given to me during college by a World Opportunities Week speaker. I cannot tell you how many times I have read it. The simple truths but huge challenges continue to push me.

4. Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder

This is a biography about Dr. Paul Farmer, a physician and public health guru. He goes to some of the poorest areas of the worlds and implements low-cost lifesaving medical practices.

5. The White Man's Burden by William Easterly

Again, you might be seeing a trend here. I cannot find my copy of this book and it bums me out. This was a challenging read because it was written from an economics perspective. It is a study on the unequal distribution of wealth around the world.
6. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

This is a simple, but profound description of Christianity. It took me a number of tries to get through this---probably just because I tried to read it on the young side and before I appreciated the beauty of British writing!
7. A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah

I have read this book three times in the past year. It is about the conflict in Sierra Leone and his experience through it. It is one of the most gripping books I have read in a long time. It also points out another civil war that went on without the world taking a second glance.

8. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

I'm surprised that this made my list. It was required reading for my senior year of high school. It is an unforgettable book and, although, very rough around the edges, it opened my eyes to the diversity of literature.

9. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

This is the book I relate to my childhood. I think it is important because it opens children up to fantasy and encourages imagination. We don't keep the ability to imagine long enough!

10. Where Is God When It Hurts? by Philip Yancey

I read this book in college and a couple times since then. I think all people in medicine should read this, as well anyone with a chronic or terminal illness. It explains why we need pain is a gift from God and we need it to survive.

Okay, those are my current 10. If you haven't read them, pick up a good book! What are some of your favorite books? You might give me some ideas!

travel agent?

i'm thinking i should be a travel agent on the side. what do you think???

a coworker asked my opinion the other day and she agrees as i gave her many options. it would be a great side job!

Pictures

Okay, here are some much-anticipated pictures from Oklahoma City. The first few are with the half ironman. Remember that it is pouring rain and we are freezing. The second half are from the Oklahoma City Memorial.

the picture above is just to show that we were loaded with mud....nothing like running through mud puddles for 13 miles. i actually threw my shoes out that day.

9 months

I wrote this last night, but couldn't post it.....

Tonight I had dinner with the Alfords. They opened up their house to 3 Texas A&M freshman that were in town for a leadership event. It was so fun to have a homemade dinner with a big "family" atmosphere. Mary and Gene are just so incredibly generous and warm. Their house is literally always open to anyone coming through. I'm sure that they were aware of the timing. Tomorrow it will be 9 months since Charles passed away. I cannot even believe it. Some days, I unconsciously expect him to be home when I get back from work and to be lounging on the couch with his shirt off. I cannot imagine how Gene and Mary feel all the time. Charles' 17th birthday is coming up soon as well. If you think about it, just keep them in your prayers in the next 3 months. There are a lot of family oriented events that I'm sure will feel pretty empty with one person missing.

Ft. Hood

I'm sure by now everyone has heard about the killings at Fort Hood. I was reading the paper this morning and a couple things were new to me. One was an article about how people shouldn't attach this event to the killer's faith. I can see both sides of this comment. All religious organizations have their over-zealous followers. That is definitely a given. I get so upset when people kill abortion doctors in defense of the sanctity of life. I will say though, that we hear more about violent acts associated with certain religious sects....think Waco, 9/11, etc. when have we heard about a Buddhist attacking others? Maybe it has happened, but I haven't heard about it.

The second thing...I was reading about the 13 people that died in the attacks. Two of the killed were career Physician Assistants. It hits home a little more when you think about your career could cause that risk. I have thought about joining the military a number of times, but it always comes down to the fact that in my heart, I know I'm not built for a war zone. Now, if I could man a hospital in Germany or Italy or Hawaii, I think I could be convinced. I'm thankful for those that aren't scared out of their pants to defend our country (regardless of what you think of this current situation)

pics

okay, these are all out of order....above is me lounging in front of the fountain at balboa park!

friends!

la jolla cove....

this isn't a great picture, but i'm too lazy to upload another one....swinging at the beach. yippee!

angie and i at the apple day's festival in julian, cali. it was like a scene out of Gilmore Girls according to angie! this is the view of the marina outside our hotel......a priceline special. angie loved watching the million dollar boats and their help!

the two of us....and our bike debockle...note the old tube around my neck!

okay, that is just a couple things....i have the biggest charlie horse that won't go away in my left second toe....love it!

vacation!

okay, so i'm going to post a quick and dirty overview of san diego. part of me thinks that i might ruin the greatness of it if it is discussed too much.


angie and i had a great time (if i say so myself)! san diego was the perfect location for this specific vacation. angie called me a drill sargent for the first few days when i would ask her to get going....that is after i've already had a morning workout! we learned that it takes me awhile longer to slow down!


we basically didn't hit any of the san diego MUST SEE locations....sorry to disappoint you! we did go to an apple day's festival in julian, california. we tried our hand at surfing (videos of us to come). we knew that it wasn't going to be easy, but it definitely took awhile to get the hang of things. i am well acquainted with awkward falls, as well as salt and sand up my nose. it was a whole lot of fun though!


i don't have all of the pictures (angie has some on her camera). we did a little road biking. the very first day angie got a flat tire at the top of a GIGANTIC hill. unfortunately i had already gone down it and it took awhile to figure out where she was. a little boy in an Everlast boxing costume eventually was our savior. about 300 meters down the road, angie's chain got caught. now, the gentleman that helped us was just as cute....just a little older....less clothed...more tan and a surfer specimen. it was nice to admire God's creation in San Diego!


let's see....we ate at some of the best and worst restaurants of san diego. we loved Rubio's and Lotus Thai. we did not like The Fiddler's Green.....or the waitress. it had to be the worst service and food that we've ever had. the laughs and the ice cream afterwards made up for it somewhat!


that's a super brief overview....we did a lot more than that...but it was very restful for both of us. now, back to taking care of sick patients! i'm so thankful for a loyal and encouraging friend who puts up with my goofiness!

pictures aren't uploading now so you all will have to wait with bated breath!

and i'm out!

i'm headed to san diego early saturday morning! yippee! i'm so ready for a break from work....only one more day. i'm meeting angie there and we are going to have a blast. we haven't seen each other since february. that is way too long!

i officially completed my triathlon season last sunday with a very respectable third place finish in my age group. it was a competative top three (just seconds apart). i also finished in the top 8th of the entire field....men and women included. someday i'll be good at triathlons...or my knees will be shot! : )

anyhow, angie and i plan on road biking this week. it is going to be great! i am just excited to get out of here!

stories

there are so many stories that come up at work. i wish that i knew all my patient's stories, but it just isn't practical. i love the days when things are a little less hectic and i can just sit back and chat.....find out what is important to them...what makes them happy...anxious...their support system....how they met their spouse.

last week i spoke with a patient for about 20 minutes about the real estate business. what do i know about real estate? i guess i should learn a lot though. he thinks everyone should have a second career "in their back pocket". it sounds like his is a lucrative one!

so today i spent time talking to an elderly gentleman that is having difficulty with his treatment. without giving details, he has an advanced cancer and is on his last chemotherapy option. i had noticed a german accent and his name. i inquired about when he came to the states. to shorten things up a little bit, he came over as an orphan in 1946. he was in multiple concentration camps and lost his parents and seven siblings. his wife pulled up his sleeve and showed me the number tattooed on his arm. it was just an incredible interaction---the fact that he would share that with me. it transitioned into a conversation about the unpredictability of life.

this reminded me of a patient i met in michigan as a tech. the woman was from germany and was a little girl during the war. she told me about her parents hiding jews during wwII.

the depth, courage, and determination of people amazes me.

5 years

my 5 year reunion for Taylor is this weekend. i didn't intentionally not go....not making a decision and being busy made the decision for me. i can't believe it has been 5 years though! i can't believe how fast time went, but i guess grad school and a challenging new career filled it (with some travelling intermingled!)

i'm so thankful for my time at Taylor...things that stick out, just off the top of my head:

- the fruit fly unit in genetics...a testiment to what you sacrifice when you become a bio major

- wonderful relationships (with their normal bumps and peaks)

- intense flag football

- professors that wanted you to think, not just memorize

- some great trips with angie (europe, washington d.c......les miserables!)

- personal growth

- singing with the music department and all that goes along with that

i win....kind of

so, i had my first visit to the houston muncipal building today. i got a ridiculous parking ticket on saturday. i'll make it a shorter story...i went to the library and their was the international festival going on downtown. i couldn't park in the normal location so i found a meter that was available. there were 2 signs on the same pole talking about commercial and standard parking. i fed the meter a ridiculous fee for 15 minutes and ran to the library to return my books and when i got back there was time left on the meter. i got in the car and then saw the little green papet that was my parking ticket. boo! i opened it and.....

it was 250 dollars!!!! Two hundred and fifty dollars...what in the world!?!? (of course my thought immediately goes to the fact that this equals an airline ticket). I talked to the Houston Police Department (who did not write the ticket) and joked about the horrific economy that Houston must have to charge these rates.

long and short of it is that i mistakenly parked in a commercial spot which equals big fine. i went the municipal building after work and waited....eventually saw a lady and pleaded my ignorance. since this was my first offense, she ended up cutting it to $75. i don't really like paying that money either, but it is better than $250!

nobel peace prize

there has been a lot of talk about the nobel peace prize this week. whatever you think of the award this year, it has become a good history lesson for me. i went ahead and looked up all the past nobel peace prize winners. it is an impressive list. let me point out a few for you:

- 1919 Thomas Woodrow Wilson, President, formed the League of Nations (which would eventually become the UN)
- 1931 Jane Addams, sociologist (this one was just impressive for a woman to get it at this time)
- Nothing was given during WWII
- 1950 Ralph Bunche, mediated between Palestine and Israel
- 1964 Martin Luther King Jr.
- 1965 UNICEF
- 1973 Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho (he declined the prize after negotiating the peace accord....i'll have to look into why he turned it down)
- 1979 Mother Theresa
- 1984 Desmond Tutu, worked on South African apartheid
- 1986 Elie Wiesel, author, Holocaust activist (this is an unabashed plug for his writings)
- 1990 Mikhail Gorbachev, President of USSR, brought Cold War to end
- 1991 Aung San Suu Kyi, human rights advocate in Burma
- 1993 Nelson Mandela
- 1994 Yasser Arafat, Yitzak Rabin, Shimon Peres, working toward Middle East Peace
- 2006 Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank, promoting economic and social development for the lower class (again, another plug for a book...check this one out!)

so that is just a quick overview. lots of other great people that have gotten the award as well. all i know is that when i get the nobel prize, i don't want a good chunk of people questioning why i got it....lots of neat things to aspire to though...it is making me think about more good non-fiction books i can get from the library!

update

i don't have a whole lot to say tonight....so tired from an emotionally draining week. some weeks are just tougher than others in the cancer world!

in brief, i went to charlotte last weekend for a conference and didn't take any pictures....stupid of me! it was gorgeous weather and i learned quite a bit. i also got to see a friend from college, Devan. she is newly engaged and it was great to catch up a little bit.

i spent this evening trying not to think about work....i stayed a little late to finish my homework. i haven't even done the reading yet, but it is quite logical to me. i love not studying too much and getting good grades!

angie and i will be on vacation soon....so needed for both of us! i bought a ticket home for christmas today too. that will be exciting...our whole family in one location---how traditional!

i'm looking at some races for next year. i'm going to have to work around merideth's wedding which is exciting. i think i'm going to try for 2-3 more halfs next year with a couple more sprints thrown in. i'm thinking about trying a travelling one....we'll see. i guess if i'm going to do another race i need to go bike shopping!

all in all, so glad it is the weekend. i'm hoping to go for a long bike ride tomorrow (pending the rain status). i need my yearly car inspection. i also plan on hitting the library and likely renting a movie. it will be grand!

journal memories

so, i'm coming up on the start of my 27th year of life. i decided this warranted a review of my journals. i'm going to let you in on some excerpts.....get ready!!

1996 (9th grade)

-" i really like Daniel a lot. he's 13 and fun to be around."
- the next day--- "i kind of take back what i said yesterday. i like him as a sfriend. i want him to be my friend too. i mean, if he wants to be more than that it's okay too"

Make up your mind Heather!

1997

nothing must have happened that year!

1998

-first official boyfriend....it lasted for about a month!

1999 (11th/12th grade)

- i wrote about meeting with the guidance counselor to see if i could pull of graduating at the end of 11th grade....so i didn't have to start afresh in michigan for senior year.
- went to mozambique over the summer
- participated in swimming in michigan and struggled with starting a new school and my eating habits

2000 (12th grade/freshman year)

- "i'm a new alumni from saline high school. i graduated yesterday afternoon. it was a really boring service, but at least i'm done"
- i mention that "the thong song" was played at prom...classy!
- i talk about my new friend angie

2001 (freshman/sophomore year)

- "unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vein"
- lots of talk about if my major is correct...
- "common sense is not faith and faith is not common sense"
- "just think, God was so smart that he created physics for us to discover" can you tell i loved physics?!?!
- the fall semester was just rough....school was tough, debating med school, emotionally
- overall, my observation is that i began to have a lot deeper and higher thought processes...i don't think there was one comment about a boy!

2002 (soph/junior)

- "as a result of a fear of rejection, i think i have a fear of commitment/making decisions. if i don't make a decision, in essense, i'm chosing rejection for myself and a longer road of uncertainty."
- "Taylor Sounds went to the Ft. Wayne woman's club. they were so gracious. i was blessed immensely"
- i wrote about breaking curfew on the Sounds' trip to the Bahamas. Dr. Rediger wasn't happy!
- i started my job at st.joe's as a nurse's aide. i spoke about my preceptor..."she really demonstrated love of the seemingly unloveable. it is really easy to clean the people with clean bottoms and nonsaggy breasts, but what about the fat, smelly people whose family doesn't visit?" i didn't say it was politically correct!
- "yesterday i found out that something was wrong with my fruit flies....i cried a lot!"
- october 20th, first mention of considering a PA---as a result of crying through I AM SAM
- let's just say december 2002 was the craziest month of relationship issues (both good and bad) in my life


more to come as i keep reading!


birthday reflections:

-19th birthday "i opened mom and dad's package. it's a good thing material posessions aren't supposed to satisfy us!" ---cracks me up!
- 20th b-day--angie had people from the dorm write cards which i got throughout the day. i also talked about disecting my shark!

weekend recap

well, since it is about time for the next weekend to start, i better talk about last weekend! sorry, this week has been busy. i'm still at work now, but needed a break---all alone at work at 5:30 on a friday is an odd experience. i digress...

last friday morning, i got up at 5:00 and finished loading the car. i backed into the Alford's gate on the way out and then it got stuck. shoot. eventually i make it to the gym and do a quick 40 minute run through of a triathlon...i'm loving the short workouts! i pick up April and we hit the road to Oklahoma.

a couple things happened on the drive:
1. we talked a lot. listened to a lot of music.
2. a 70-80 year old woman turned around right in front of us and started going the wrong way down a one way highway...so scary.
3. we stopped at an old gas station and the bathroom was a cricket graveyard.
4. come to think of it, we stopped at a lot of bathrooms....sorry April!
5. we found a great ice cream place (i'm pretty sure it rivals ivanhoe's) with the cutest waitress

we made it to oklahoma and found the race site and got everything situated. april has a long lost family member in oklahoma city so we stayed with them. we tried to carbo-load at pizza hut...not the best, but also not my choice. when we got back to the house, the dogs had snuck into my bag and eaten my breakfast....a jar of peanut butter and an english muffin!

saturday was supposed to be "a perfect race day". i now believe in the power of jinx. i had dreamed all night about being late...and i almost was late. it was horribly stressful. it then started to downpour....like hurricaine ike and the half marathon last year! i was too wet to get my wetsuit on...ironic, huh? they announced that they weren't sure if we were going to be able to do the bike portion because of flooding. at that moment, you are kind-of relieved and then kind-of upset. goodness, you have exercised so hard for so long!

we end up being able to do it and i hit the water. the swim went pretty well. i got kicked a number of times. i really like fresh water swims vs. salt water. you just don't get as nauseous when there isn't the salt to swallow! someone grabbed my leg and i had to stop and make sure i didn't lose my timing chip. all in all, very pleased with the swim. i cut 5 minutes off my time which is substantial!

transition to the bike went pretty smoothly too....no one talks about the dizziness that results from going from the swim to the bike. i always feel a little like vomiting!

the bike course was tougher because of the rain and a lot more hills than galveston. yes, they weren't horrible, but they were hills. the first half went pretty well. on the whole, i was pushing too much at the beginning so i peetered out a little bit mid-way through. i have a major problem with taking in calories on the bike. you are supposed to do this to get through the run....i only consumed about 250...definitely not enough. all in all, i was pleased with the bike. the course was harder and the conditions were worse and my time was almost exactly the same. that is when i got great hopes for the run.

transition between the bike and run was rough....i literally could not get my shoe off....ridiculous i know! i was thinking i was going to have to have someone cut it off...then i got it!

the run was rough. i definitely didn't have enough calories. the first half was okay...not stellar. it was just frustrating because i had actually been running really well in training and had dropped a lot of time. this was not reflected last saturday. the last 6 miles were so painful. i ended up going about the same pace as in april which was disappointing. overall, i basically dropped the 5 minutes from the swim.

i was initially just so glad to be done, but was disappointed in the outcome. if i had been able to run better, it would have been a great improvement on last time. oh, well!

i just didn't have a lot of focus through the whole thing...i was thinking about patients and then high grade neuroendocrine tumors....how many bugs i was eating...all over the place! i'm sure focus would have helped. also, i didn't mention that this was the national championships of this distance...so there were some amazingly fast people there. it was neat to see, but they certainly left me in the dust!

things to do better next time:
---better nutrition
---more bricks (with longer runs)
---get a triathlon bike (still don't have one)

i think this does mean that there will be a next time....we'll see! by the way, i'm impressed if you made it this far! i'll post some pictures soon.

great article

check this out....such a great article. i promise that i'll write about the triathlon when i get a chance to breathe...

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/tigers/2009-09-22-ernie-harwell-cover_N.htm

T minus 35 hours

i'm hitting the road tomorrow morning and heading toward oklahoma city. i will be driving through a portion of texas that i've never seen....hello dallas!

the half is this saturday. i should be off and swimming by about 7:30. the weather is supposed to be 75 degrees with a chance of rain. it should be nice.

think of me all saturday morning and into the afternoon!

Training Recap

so, my second half ironman of the year is coming up this saturday in oklahoma city. i think i'm more nervous about this one than the first one! my heart rate has been up all week...that that it says much since i consistently have a pretty low resting heart rate. no strokes for me please!

i decided to calculate how far/how much time i have spent training for this one....then multiply it x2 since i pretty much did the training plans back to back. next year i will definitely approach training differently (and do some races closer together). it is odd how your mindset and body changes with this training though. i did a 2 hour workout this morning and it seemed short for a saturday....it is probably because i did a 3.5 hour one last saturday. that is a long time in a bike!

anyhow, here is the breakdown:

---first of all, i have tried to add up all the numbers but i'm sure i messed up so this is definitely an estimate. in parenthesis, i have approximated the total miles/yard breakdown. i estimated a lower speed than average, so it should actually be more total distance (just didn't want to give myself more credit than deserved). i also had days where i exercised more than recommended, but didn't write it down.

SWIM-- 2295 minutes total= 38.25 hours= 114,750 yards (based off 3000 yd/hr)
BIKE-- 3705 minutes total=61.75 hours=1049.75 miles (based on 17 mph)
RUN--2715 minutes total=45.25 hours=407.25 miles (based on 9 minute miles)

in all, at least 1540 miles total to train for 70.3. seems crazy, doesn't it?

a friendly tip...

...never join bally total fitness.

that is it.

geography!

i loved geography in 9th grade....some people liked the class because the teacher was really cute, but honestly i just really enjoyed the subject. here are some figures for you....

distance from Ann Arbor (mom) to Quito (christy)= around 3500 miles

distance from Omaha (dad) to Quito (christy)= 3000 miles

distance from Ann Arbor (mom) to Omaha (dad)= 692 miles

distance from Omaha to Houston (heather)= 902 miles


i'm currently thinking of a math problem....how many different combinations could we make?

healing

i'm burnt out. yes, i have had a couple 3 day weekends here and there. i haven't taken a week off of work since last thanksgiving. that is way too long.



i go through phases here where i wonder if i'm really helping anyone. i work with pancreatic cancer and unknown primary cancers. they both are difficult to fight and we don't have enough knowledge, effective tools (chemotherapy), or people participating in clinical trials to make a significant impact in the overall survival of patients.



i had a healthy patient just this week that had a very small tumor, we treated him with chemotherapy and radiation. he went to surgery and was found to have metastatic disease that wasn't detectable on scans. a surgery coworker and i lamented on our adequateness to heal people as much as we desired.



that sadness, that comes in waves, brings me to this other patient. she has had a really difficult time with treatment for multiple reasons. she called to say that one of her symptoms had significantly improved since adjusting some medications on tuesday. she then continued to say how blessed MD Anderson was to have me and that i not only have a good command of medical knowledge, but also have a presence with people that is unmatched. (i should also add that she and i didn't hit it off right away). it was so sensitive and complementary. it reminded me of why i can come to work everyday to talk about horribly difficult circumstances. i really believe that i am there to meet people just as they are...to help them understand their diagnosis and then to journey with them through treatment, whatever the overall outcome might be.



as medical providers, i believe that we possess a lot of power. power to heal (in some cases). power to provide hope even in a seemingly hopeless situation. regardless of their medical ailments, we can listen to their life stories. we can break bad news with deep compassion and caring. we can celebrate with them with there is a glimmer of good news. i really believe that my job provides emotions on every end of the spectrum...deep joy, earth-shattering grief, raw anger, and limitless anxiety. the best observation is seeing patients find indescribable peace with their cancer.

my job is so emotionally draining, but so amazing!

the perfect storm

i have declared september, the perfect storm. everything is aligning together. first, i'm covering a coworker's maternity leave. i'm glad to do it, but the combination workload is a lot. i'm putting in a lot of extra hours just to keep my patients happy.

it is also my month "on" for the free clinic, so every tuesday night i'm working extra clinic hours with an underserved population. i also have someone shadowing me those days...i love teaching, but it definitely takes time.

masters of public health classes started on monday too. i don't have the books yet....not that i would have taken the time to open them yet anyhow! i do hope they come tomorrow though!

i have another half ironman coming up 2 weeks from saturday...training has to keep going until then and there isn't too much flexibility.

anyhow, i'm glad i'm a go-getter....i just wish i didn't dream about all this stuff at night too!

witty?

i participated in a bike ride today about an hour north of houston. it was a good ride. let me expound.

of course i had to get up at 5:15 to get there in time. it is always a little hard for me to set my alarm clock on the weekends. i normally only sleep until about 7, but it is the principle! i got to the site and the first thing i noticed were the ugly yellow t-shirts. (i am now a proud owner of another nightshirt/gym shirt). there were a good mix of hard-core bikers and recreational bikers.

before leaving, they had a moment of silence for those people who had been hurt or killed on a bike. that was encouraging as we set off! i instantly realized that this ride was going to be different than rides in galveston or houston. there were 2 main differences: no humidity and lots of hills. as i shifted down for the first big hill, i immediately thought of the Hilly Hundred. Angie and i tried to do this during grad school. we did the first day's ride (50 miles) and didn't come back for the second. it was rough. see picture below.

there was a big pack initially since there were 4 different race lengths. i chose the 65 mile ride and eventually the road got pretty sparce. it was then that i realized i need a tape recorder with me. i could record my ridiculous thoughts in route and then laugh at them later....needless to say, i'm pretty funny on my bike! of course, now, i can't remember much.

i did wish i had been counting roadkill. i did see 2 armadillo on the side of the road. only in texas! by water bottle cage flew off because of the bumpiness so i had to fix that...i still have the grease in my fingernails to show for it!

all in all, it was a good ride. i have decided that north of texas is very pretty. oh, one of the things i kept batting back and forth was whether i'm a city or a country girl. the jury is still out....

bugs

man, i wanted to make this cockroach HUGE...it won't let me! i guess you all (the three of you that read this) lucked out.

i killed a cockroach before work this morning....i killed one about 3 weeks ago too. they are fast critters! i always thought that roaches were found in dirty places. now, i can't claim that i'm spotless, but i'm not living in filth! i think this is a southern curse....thank goodness i'm not scared of insects!

private student loans.....check!

as of last night, i have officially paid off my private students loans. it feels pretty good, but i still have a good chunk of federal student loans. i'm still on a great path.

i'm sure some people from my class would be shocked to know i have that much paid off (on one income), but it all comes down to living below your means. i choose to live in a place that is extremely simple and small so that i can put that extra money away. i haven't gotten a lot of material possessions since my move. i, oddly, take pride in the fact that i could still pack up my house in my car at any moment.

i'm just excited to have it paid off soonish so that i'm completely free! yippee!!

on a side note, my first article was published this month. you can check it out at: http://www.jaapa.com/Carcinoma-of-unknown-primary-Searching-for-the-origin-of-metastases/article/141067/

it is exciting because there are no co-authors. i'm currently working on 2 others....hopefully to go up on the journal level. that journal is for physician assistants and the article is written to the general practitioner without any oncology experience.

philly

Okay, this post has a lot of pictures like promised. i apologize for how this is going to lay out on the screen!

I went to Philly for about 36 hours on Friday/Saturday. on friday i had a meeting, but i decided to stay through part of saturday to see a little of the town. there is SO much history in this town!

to the left is the first courthouse of the united states...the home of the judicial branch. below that is a picture of independence hall. all three branches resided there.


the horribly awkward self-portrait below, has the "ghost house" of Ben Franklin. basically, it is exactly where it was before and the white posts are the outline. on the floor, it outlines where every part of the house was located.


there was also an underground museum to ben franklin...he was a creative man! i swear he created the first lazy boy!

the sepia picture is an attempt to be artsy....this is the city hall...gorgeous building!

i'm pictured with the statue to the right....this is richard dobbs. he was one of the signers of the constituation. i took a picture of him because he was only 29. can you believe that? the majority of the men that were involved were in their 30's and 40's. there were a few in their 50's and then ben franklin who was 81. young people can do anything!

everyone needs to see some bloomers in philly!

the liberty bell.....a must see.

Observations in Philly (these are completely random and they might not really be true reflections of the city):

1. i noticed a lot of smokers---i commented on this to my driver on the way to the airport and, of course, he is a smoker. it was actually a good conversation!

2. it is extremely diverse...really like no other city i have seen.

3. there are a lot of homeless people around at all areas of the day and night.

4. there are great parks at every turn.

5. it seemed pretty dirty.

6. i loved being able to walk everywhere again.....being in a REAL city (aka Houston doesn't count)

7. history is EVERYWHERE!

8. the Wall of Freedom at the Constituation Center was interesting...and sobering. people can place sticky notes of what you would do with freedom. the sobering part was that a lot of people wrote really selfish things.....power, control the world, make money, get things. i decided to write "give generously". it isn't profound, but i think it would be a step in the right direction!

and i'm off again

i'm headed out to philadelphia tomorrow. does it feel like i get on a plane a lot? sometimes.

my goal for the weekend: to take some pictures to upload to this site. i know that they are needed!

more about pictures, take a look at this link:

www.worldpressphoto.org

these are some of the best pictures from the last year. click on the winner's gallery and there are a ton to sort through. april and i ran into this presentation in amsterdam. i looked at them when i got home and some just rock your soul....for me, that is the majority of the ones that are international. seriously, take a look.

i got some info on hospice africa from my college organic chemistry lab partner today. i love the concept, so it will be interesting to learn more about the organization.

this story is inspirational...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8175795.stm

i love the africa portion of the bbc website...U.S. news is so exclusive!

relaxation

this weekend has been a little retreat from the real world. my life isn't difficult; i know that. i do have a difficult field that can have a very high burnout rate. even though i'm fortunate enough to get away for weekends relatively frequently, they are usually full of dashes from clinic to the airport parking lot. this is followed by a plane flight and then time with people i haven't seen in awhile. sometimes it is relaxing and sometimes it isn't.

i'm house-sitting for my attending physician this weekend and it is the perfect getaway. not only do the have a gorgeous new house, they also have a pool. i'm just grateful for the space...i plan on doing a little baking tonight. yesterday was just ideal spending time reading by the pool. it has been super relaxing. i also like having more thatn 4 channels on TV.

i hope all your weekends have been as good as mine!

the weekend

some weekends i feel like a don't deserve them. most weekends i do though....this one is so needed.

i spent last weekend in minnesota with my extended family. we had the memorial service at the gravesite for papou and yiayia. there were ups and downs of the trip...it was very evident that all of the cousins are now adults (me included!). on the whole, it was really good to see everyone. we also got to see a good portion of dad's family as well since minneapolis is their mecca, of sorts.

to make a long story shorter, i took a bump on the way back to houston. i had time, but i gave up my direct flight for a route through memphis and a $300 voucher. i thought it was worth it at the time....it probably still was. basically, i got to memphis late and then sat on the tarmac and ended up missing my flight to houston. i waited in a reaaaaly long line to get another flight late the next morning. i was not very interested in taking a day off to spend it in the memphis airport. after talking with multiple agents and trying to find flights through austin, new orleans, and san antonio, one rude lady got me on a flight for 5:45 am on a different airlines. my question is...why didn't they offer that from the beginning?

i ended up getting my hotel covered and actually took in a Rice University student that was stranded too...i know, it was odd. i slept horribly for a short time and was back in the airport on my way home. i hopped over to work and was exhausted by the end of the day.

what did i learn from this experience?
---always look for another option if you are stranded...think outside the box
---always carry an extra pair of underwear...i happened to do this
---make sure you pack a brush. i didn't have one...my hair was gorgeous at work!

how many of you would have trusted a person that offered you to stay in their hotel room? i was surprised she agreed, but it was obvious she hadn't traveled much. i certainly wouldn't have!!

gross

i just opened up an english muffin. i was going to put peanut butter on it for tomorrow morning....but alas, some bugs walked out of it. gross!

will write more later...i've had very spotty internet coverage.

happy birthday angie!

again, i'm a couple days late on this post. on july 23rd, angie was born into the world.

now, when i met angie, she was not a doctor. she had been dreaming about being a surgeon since she was 10 years old.

when i met her, we were both green college freshman. i remember meeting her and thinking that she might be a great friend...but she had a roommate that she liked so i didn't think there was a shot.

very early in freshman year, we put together a list of random/goofy things we wanted to do before we graduated---that is when i knew we really would be good friends!





there were lots of memories from college...lots of studying, racketball, intramural football, and chapels.

we were able to go on double dates, travel to different countries, and attend friends' weddings.

we definitely had some rocky moments, but i do believe it has made our friendship much stronger.




angie has persued her dreams passionately and with diligence. she is becoming a remarkable surgeon---her skill sets will benefit thousands of people in the future. in writing that, i must say that i am sure she is impacting lives now as well. we discuss the role that bedside manner has and the responsibility that we have in caring for our patients beyond the physicial aspect.

i'm so thankful for my friend. i wish we didn't live a plane ride away...but i'm thankful for the memories that we continue to make. hopefully next year we'll be at the top of kilimanjaro together!

i love you angie and i'm so thankful for you! happy belated birthday!

(sorry, i don't have many pictures from college on my computer---you are missing some classics!)

below are the "top 10 events" of our college experience...some of them might seem lame to you...goodness knows we did more fun things than listed, but some of these are "friendship defining events"

Top 10 Events of Heather & Angie's Taylor Friendship

- mud wrestling labor day weekend freshman year

- walking to Handy Andy and getting ice cream

- spring break in Europe (Angie's chest getting grabbed in Prague)

- Valentine's date junior year

- talking on the phone after her summer in India

- pictures in the snow Christmas 2000

- Physics class and talking through lectures

- being lost in Washington DC together (Les Miserables!!!)

-intramural football

- spending time with Stauffer's and talks together at their house

- fighting for a month junior year