Portmanteau Suitcase

I have seen the Blue Angels several times over the years, including a dress rehearsal here in Pensacola when I was here in 2005 doing a family practice rotation. But today was the best show I have ever seen!

Initially, I thought about bailing because SMS and I had a fun morning in the hotel pool. Why not just hang out and relax? Because then it wouldn’t be a true family vacation, hahaha.

But I’m so glad we went! First, the crowds were not bad at all. Also, the weather had cleared from early morning clouds to nearly clear skies. SMS and I broke off for a few minutes to walk in the aviation museum before walking to the show. Then, in a magical confluence of events, SMS and I ran into my brother who was with my parents. At that exact moment, Dad had talked us into a VIP viewing area complete with BBQ and an unobstructed view of the air field. The center point of the show maneuvers was right in front of us. We also heard the announcer the entire time and while I won’t remember all the names of the passes, it was pretty to awesome to know when the inversions, barrel rolls, formation changes, etc we’re going to happen.

So, yes, it was an incredible show! I don’t even know if I ever have to see them again! Tomorrow, we’re going to hang out at the beach and the pool. Can’t wait!

My Dad can do anything! Today, in a feat of superhuman skill, he killed a fly in Navarre Beach. In doing so, he knocked over a small amount of beer so the fly was laid to rest in a slight mist of beer foam. Not a bad way to lay in state!

SMS won son-in-law of the day for documenting the occasion. He’s the family photographer!

Unfortunately, I cannot find the ultimate picture that I thought I texted to myself.
But, in other awesome news, SMS and I went to a Waffle House, went to my brother’s beautiful new house, hung out with my parents, and had an early Thanksgiving meal with my family. Such a great day! I know this blog entry is subpar but I’m typing on my phone. I didn’t bring a laptop with me, which is providing a really nice break!

Monday night is a little rough to meet for a book club but since I’m pro-book club and I like this current group well enough, I always decide to go rather than flake out last minute. I mean, what else would I do? Sit on the couch in sweats? Clearly, yes, that is an attractive option but I keep my commitments.

This month, we read a non-fiction memoir. Beth wanted a break from literary fiction and so we read, “I’m Glad My Mom Died” by Jennette McCurdy. It certainly is an eye-catching title. The book was fine. I’m not the biggest memoir person but at the same time, I’ve read more than I would expect given I don’t love the genre. There really wasn’t much to talk about other than reactions to what was described in the book. I mean, how do you analyze/critique a real person’s life and feel good about yourself as a reader?

We didn’t have any great ideas for a December book. I thought about The Only Good Indians, but I think it’s pretty dark which may mean I don’t even want to finish it. But it has garnered some rave reviews so TBD in regards to my personal to-read list. But I don’t think it’s good for the club.

Well, it’s late and I’m tired but I’ll post some recent reads soon. Any suggestions? I recently read Premonition by Michael Lewis, which was great.

I had prior work-related plans but decided to reschedule and had such a fun day with SMS. We slept in, deferring the Daylight Savings Time adjustment until tomorrow which should Monday extra special! Then I made a Euro-y style breakfast plate for breakfast. Clearly, the bread isn’t seedy enough, there are no dried meats or fruits, and there is a distinct lack of muesli but if you squint your eyes, you can maybe pretend this is a European hotel breakfast buffet plate?

Then, we hiked at Waterdog, which was so nice. Especially as the days get shorter and I go to work/leave work in the dark, it’s nice to get outside on the weekends. Then we drove to San Mateo and ate hand-pulled noodles at Ox-9, which were delicious. We walked around for a bit afterwards because we were so full.

Next, we drove around a few neighborhoods and looked at houses because why not depress ourselves? We pulled into one house too early and I’m pretty sure blocked the owners who were trying to leave. So smooth.

Later in the afternoon, I went to Sephora and picked up a few things on “sale.” Finally, we had a really nice evening of relaxing and eating our dinner of Trader Joe’s salmon, Brussels sprouts, cucumber salad, and a roll.

All in all, I really nice Sunday. This evening, I worked on a few work-related item (and there’s still more to-do, but enough’s enough for the night) and in terms of winning at life, I am aware of my early morning faculty meeting so I won’t miss it which is an improvement from October!

I would like to work on having a morning routine that works with start times that vary through the week. I would like to caffeinate, get ready, and work out (cardio) most mornings. Lately, only the first two reliably happen every morning. But I enjoy being in shape and I feel like I’m starting to flirt with impacting my endurance if I don’t increase my consistency.

In a magical world, I would also love to do yoga, meditate, read, and surf the internet without waking up before 5 a.m. I think this is otherwise known as a day off.

But really, I am impressed by some people’s morning routines. I think what has really thrown mine for a loop is a markedly longer commute that goes along with my new job and a commute into San Francisco 2-3 days a week. It’s hard to balance enough sleep (min 6-7 hours, preferably 7-8). In addition, while I am a morning person, it’s a little hard to go straight from bed into a workout which is what’s needed to get a lot in.

Maybe I can decide to become more of an evening routine person?

Anyways, any advice/inspo/commiseration welcome!

One of my office sites is in a small shopping complex with a grocery store. The grocery store has a little bar at the front, which strikes me as so weird. Like who says, “You know what I’m craving? A brewskie and some convo at the local grocery store.”

Now granted, I’ve never been one to chat in the grocery store unless mumbling curse words at people who stop in the middle of the aisle for hours (ok, minutes) counts. I definitely never exchanged flirty banter over produce (according to rom-coms, this happens?). And finally, I realize that some Whole Foods have bars although I don’t think I’ve partaken. Whole Foods coffee bar, yes. Whole Foods bar, no.

But. I have wanted to get a beer since it seemed so weird. I told my co-worker this who was diligently finishing up her notes and she decided that she wanted to go, too. I seized the chance- a drink with a friend at the grocery store bar. Here’s to new adventures! [And here’s to putting my stay-on-top-of-my-paperwork plan on hold for one more day.]

So, yes. We grabbed a beer before heading home. It was fun to catch up and be the target of curious/jealous/judgey looks from people who were “just” grocery shopping. But according to the cashier who came over to pour the beers and ring us up, it’s actually pret-ty popular with the kids-playing-sports nearby crowd. I guess I’m lucky we even got a seat at such a happening spot!

I’m a little tired today after a long night in the OR yesterday but since I’m only on Day 2 of my planned 30 day streak, I need to stay strong. Clearly, I’m a better starter than finisher but stopping after one day is not acceptable.

Yesterday wasn’t a bad day at work. The day started out rainy but by the afternoon, I took the above photos from the 15th floor with its incredible view over Golden Gate Park. I caught up on my charting, went out for a quick lunch with a resident, saw a few patients, and worked on a talk

An on-going goal I have is to streamline my workflow so that I stay more on top of my charting. Then I will have more time for writing, admin, and creative work. I am doing better, but I usually have a few spillover charts from every clinic day. Two targets I’ve identified is spending less time with patients and increasing charting efficiency. While my appointment times are pretty generous, I like spending a lot of time with my patients so I’m not super eager to cut back that time. Yet, I should probably do a little better with time management- maybe I should buy a watch? For improved charting efficiency, I’m working on my Dragon dictation skills which has had a positive impact.

The reason for my fatigue is that we had a late afternoon consult that we took back to the OR at 2130. In some ways, it was a great case (pus!) and in some ways, not as great (so much edema!).

As a result, the only apartment member getting exercise today is C-bird, who took a lap around the room, crashed into a wall, and landed on the Peloton. Since SMS and I are still in the 1B/1B apartment, I haven’t had my San Diego shipment delivered from the move so I rented a Peloton. I love how I feel after a spin class and the rental was a reasonable deal relative to Peloton cost, other gyms, and frequency of use.