Estoy llena!

I've been eating a lot of chili this week, basically my salsa valentina by the spoonful (not really an exaggeration either).  So when Daniel invited us all over for his famous tacos I was more than a bit excited!

I got a few pictures from the Argentinian!

 

Daniel! The cook!  When he opens his restaurant I will be there opening night! (Yes there was a little bit of smoke, which in no way reflects the deliciousness!)

 

This is Aguachile. He said that when his brother makes it in Mexico it picas so much that a 1/2 hour later you'd still be downing water to get the fire out.  This didn't pica too much. He blamed it on the "American" habaneros.  buenisimo! riquisimo! Soooooooo good!

 

The tacos. He had adapted everything on the menu from the beans and guacamole to the marination of the chicken and shrimp.  Didn't pica enough to make my mouth and lips go numb but there was definitely tingling! 

Just had to share the amazingness! :)  My mouth still waters!

Hasta!

Estoy desalentada.

From Turkey: Kazim.  Medical doctor in the Turkish military, rank of major.  Sent to the US for a year, paid for by the Turkish govt to 1) learn English and 2) do research.   #1 is definitely gonna have to be the priority for a while yet at least.  When I first met Kazim he couldn't even respond to the common English greeting of "How are you?" He had responded to my question with a blank stare and then just shook his head yes and said hello again. But in just two weeks he's already shown some improvement.  Still a ways to go before he could really be productive asset to the research team, but he'll get there.  I feel for him in the meantime.  He sits in the corner pouring over some reading translating word by word.  Once in awhile he'll randomly break out in song.  Caught me so off-guard the first time, my laugh was already audible before I could stifle it.

From Mexico: Daniel. Got his PhD in London before returning to Mexico and starting his surgical residency.  Only with the research team for another week!  Kind of fun to have another Mexican around to gang up on Argentina with! :) 

Hasta!

Estoy en casa de nuevo.

Always feels like a sigh of relief to be home again.  But then again that sigh of relief could just be coming from the fact that it's Wednesday night.

Another winter storm hit New York, starting early Tuesday morning shortly after I had gotten to the hospital for the day.  By 10am I could already feel the involuntary panic rising at the idea of driving; for I was going to have to drive at some point.  I had an interview today at the hospital and everything I needed was at home.  By 11am I was hopping out of my chair nervously announcing that I had to get home.  Knowing the storm was to continue throughout the night it was suggested I just stay at the hospital for the night.  By 12 I had left the hospital and by 3 I was back again.  I set up camp for the night on an empty mattress over in resident housing.  It was warm, and dry.  And having made it through the storm already, I no longer had to worry about how I was going to make it to my interview today.  A little weird to interview today at a place that I already know.  Leaving for the tour of the hospital one of the residents made a quip that "Christy could just give the tour!!"  But the frustrating part of the day for me was how unfortunately cold it was.  I shivered the day away.  In the actual interviews, if I wasn't talking I had to lock my jaw to keep my teeth from chattering, and I had to hold my hands afraid that their trembling would be interpreted as nervousness.  Honestly, I'm still working on warming myself up again.  Looks like it's gonna be a jumpin'-jammers kind of night!

On my way home I decided to stop by the store.  I wanted fried chicken!!!!!  But once in the store, deciding that I couldn't eat an 8 pc. fried chicken dinner by myself, I opted for a bag of Cheetos instead.  Irresponsible AND unhealthy! ;) Can I just give 'it's Wednesday night' as reason enough and say "cheers?!"

Hasta!

Estoy sonriendo.

To bring a smile to your Monday...

Hope it's as fabulous as you are!! :)

Hasta!

Estoy persiguiendo a un conejo.

Corporate compliance only led to further mountains of paperwork.  Very disappointing.  If you're asking why?  Please don't ask.  I ask myself that question everyday and have yet to come up with an answer.  So I'll just keep doin' what I've been doin'.  And in the meantime, the brand new computer they set up for me to use at my desk sits there, black screen, unused.  .......Nope still no answer as to why.

Another shortcut for the data extraction was found today.  Half of the data is easily extracted, and with a few clicks is nicely converted and organized into an excel spreadsheet.  The second half is manually recorded and therefore does not extract so easily.  And as such needs to be manually compiled with the other half of the data.  Today my team members decided enough was enough and put forth the effort to utilize technology as much as possible.  A few programs were downloaded and in the end the manually recorded data was converted to pdf form which was then converted to excel form.  And once it's in excel form it's just a matter of rearranging the data (very carefully) and combining. Viola!  Data extracted. Compiled. And condensed!  Excuse me while I give my teammates a pat on the back!

After days of watching numbers stream before my eyes on the computer screen it's starting to wear on my brain.  Yesterday, when I finally called it a night and left to go home, I missed my turn and then trying to correct the miss I made a whoops and ended up on the parkway going in the wrong direction.  I'm developing a new found respect for actuaries and accountants and others whose job it is to look at and analyze numbers all day.

Hasta!

Estoy en el hospital.

Good day today.  No one was fired!!!  I was a bit apprehensive about the day.  As a volunteer I do realize I'm probably on no one's radar in administration, but it's not fun having team members all of a sudden be gone. 

So I'm working on neurosurgery research for the next month at least.  So much has piled up on these projects because I still don't have access to any of the programs or information to extract the data.  But what excites me today, is that I found a whole bunch of backdoors and shortcuts.  I'm getting at that information anyways!!!!!!  Where there's a will there's a way!!  Excuse me while I pat myself on the back!

At the same time I am still working on the whole access thing.  Decided I had to be a bit more drastic and went and personally talked to corporate compliance today.  So now we've been emailing back and forth, I'm praying this actually goes somewhere and doesn't get buried in political paperwork like all past attempts have. And then, Lord willing, I won't have to continue frequenting backdoors.

Had a short conversation on the subject of waiting this past weekend.  How waiting is so relative.  Just as time is so relative. For me personally, waiting for the Match in March, though two month from now.....hardly seems like waiting anymore comparatively.  And an amusing point was made so I thought I would share.

2 Peter 3:8  But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

If 1 day = 1000 years, 

then 30 years = 43.2 min, 

and 2 years = 2.88 min.

So you think you've been waiting a long time?.... Puhleeeese

Hasta!

Estoy silbando.

Nice to be at the end of this week.  Gonna take a lot for 2014 to surprise me after this week.  What has God got up His sleeve for this year?!?!  We shall see!

Dust was starting to settle in the Trauma Dept on Friday.  As for me, I've momentarily refocused the work I'm doing.  Am working on things for other doctors until I hear what direction to take with Dr. A's stuff.  And apparently Dr. A's letter of termination was changed to a letter of resignation.  A really good situation for Dr. A for which I am thankful.  But not so sure I understand what the hospital was thinking in that move.  How good it actually is for the hospital remains to be seen.

Dust has also settled following the accident last Sunday evening. God has provided a replacement for the little green car.  A silver car now takes me from point A to point B.  Even my little blue friend is happy and thankful. 

 See look at him smile!  He says it fits oh so fine!! :)

It's another Honda Civic so rides the same as what I'm used to, but as with any individual person, every car has it's own idiosyncrasies.  For example, how it breaks, how it responds to hitting a pothole and how 60 mph feels.  All things I knew in the old car, but will have to spend some time acquainting myself with all over again!  But thinking of the miles and adventures that are waiting to be driven in this little car, Lord willing, I can't help but be excited.

And as promised, here's a picture of Heather S. and myself in front of the silver car.  

This has been yet another lessen in just how dependent I am upon #1 Jesus and #2 upon others.  And once I give up the desire to be independent, I can see even clearer how blessed I am.

Luke 12:48 "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required." I console myself by telling myself that one day, Lord willing one day, I will not only be able to pay it back but somehow pay it forward as well.  One day, it will be my turn, and I will be able to help someone, someones, as I have been helped.

Hasta!

Yo estoy hilando.

Spinning.  It's spinning.  The world is spinning.  Can't really distinguish whether this vertigo is objective or subjective, but that's beside the point.  It's hard to dance when you're unsure of when or where you're going to land, when you don't know which way is up and primary concern by default is to keep the nausea at bay until you can get hold of something concrete again.

A bomb went off in the Trauma Dept. here at WMC yesterday.  A silent bomb mind you, but a silent bomb heard around the world.  Dr. A was fired yesterday.  It sent the department wheeling!! Scandel! Scandel! Scandel! Scandel!  Everyone was walking around with their eyes bugging in shock. It's how you could tell if someone had or had not heard yet. The work I had to do yesterday was on one of Dr. A's projects.  I kept doing it to keep myself busy, but....  This is just awful, especially for Dr. A! What's going to happen with this research?  Dr. A was one of the biggest advocates, the main advocate, for all of us here on the research team.  With no one to advocate for us....  Does his research disappear with him.....  And if it does where does that leave us? 

I'm so incredibly thankful this week has happened in 2014.  I'm not sure if I would have been mentally okay had it happened last year.  But God has brought me through 2013 teaching me the whole way.  And now I can laugh at just how utterly bizarre and unexpected life can be.  Just keep riding the wind as the sun keeps rising and setting.  Absolutely amazed that at every turn He is caring for me. 

Deuteronomy 8:3

"And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live."

 

Psalm 113:3

"From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord's name is to be praised."

Hasta!

Estoy.......?

Entered 2014 with a great big bang.  Or I'm assuming it was a bang.  The actual sound itself was muffled as my head buried itself in the air bag emerging from the steering wheel.



Was on my way home from CT this past Sunday.  Two passengers and myself. 1) My little sister, Chelli, who had driven back to NY with me. Picture: in Bryant Park with Christmas Village, Tree and ice skating rink in background. In the foreground was a working water fountain!!
2) Heather Steiner who is taking a class in NYC this week and I was to drop her at the train station by my home.  Picture to come...
Making the last few twists and turns through the forest we were approximately 5 minutes from home.  And as is typical with three chicas in a car we were chatting.  In my head I knew that with the temperatures dropping below freezing the wet wintery roads deserved my full attention.  But then in my head I dismissed my own warning and kept on chatting.  Looking back I also realize that God himself had probably tried to warn me as I skidded through a stop sign minutes before the accident actually happened. (No one else had been at the intersection thankfully).  But I, in my thick-headed stupidity, paid it no mind and kept on our merry way.  As the road turned and started to descend, the car hit slush and then the icy slope refused to give up it's ill-gotten control and we slipped and slided downwards until meeting with an unsuspecting stone wall.  No one was hurt (other than a few bumps and bruises) and within 60 seconds all three of us had self-extricated and were walking around.  First on the scene was actually a fireman who called it in!  He might have slightly exaggerated the situation as seemingly the entire fire brigade responded in addition to the state trooper.  We could hear them coming from way in the distance, as they slowly wound their way up to us.

Had we not hit that stone wall... Had we continued in our downward slide...  In a matter of mere seconds the road turned to the right.  Only God knows what He was protecting us from.

I needed help, and though 2 hours away I could call and receive help.  Time and time again over the years this church family has been what has kept me together.  I can not love this church family enough.

So today I set out to find what was left of the little green car.  Cleaning it out I had thought would be really upsetting, but was surprised to find not a tear near.  It was more just a surreal feeling.  I knew the day would come, just thought it would be at least a few years from now, not...now. One of the last things I removed was my little blue friend.

For a few moments I had considered leaving my friend.  He has never not been right there. Over the years and miles my steady and constant companion (in addition to Jesus) of the little green car.  It seemed fitting that he should stay with the car, it's where he belongs.  And staring at him there, his eyes pleaded with me, asking to stay.  Was I subconsciously projecting onto this small stuffed character with large wide-set eyes?  Perhaps. So I removed him from his perch and moved on. But now as he sits by my computer staring up at me, his eyes ask if he can adjust to a new home? He's unsure.  I smile and reassure him.  "We'll be just fine," I say.  I know we'll be just fine.

I bid goodbye to the little green car. I could not have asked for a better car, and am blessed to have been able to drive it for as long as the Good Lord allowed.  Praise Jesus!

Hasta!