November 17, 2009

Three months since I've blogged - holy cow!

Seasons are finally changing down here in Miami. We had one of the hottest Octobers on record. Almost every day was above 90. The cool off has started and it feels beautiful. Traffic is worse now that the snow birds are in town, but that also means my geriatric and low vision clinic has gotten busier!

Only 8 months until the end of residency. I definitely have a countdown going on my phone. Tired of not making much moolah. Still happy with my decision to do it, though. Technically a third of the way through, so my schedule changed yesterday. I now follow a retinal specialist on Mondays and Neuro-Ophthalmologist on Wednesdays. I no longer have a Monday that I start to dread as soon as Tuesday comes around. Certainly makes me a happy camper!

Brian's PhD proposal went splendidly last month. Everything was approved - full speed ahead! They seemed to be very impressed with him. Looks like he'll definitely be finished with that PhD in 4 years total! Way to go, honey!!!

Barley and Hops are loving life. Barley is having some knee issues and we've had to take her to the vet once a week for Adequan injections in hopes of avoiding surgery. She runs like mad on our slippery laminate floors and she gained close to 3 pounds after we got the puppy. We didn't realize it until it had happened. That's a ton of weight in a small dog! So now she's also on a reduced calorie diet in hopes of getting back to a regular weight. We're hoping these shots and weight loss succeed without surgery. We can't take her on walks anymore. That really bums us all out.

Gluten free eating is going... but not going super well. I find that I become increasingly more sensitive to gluten. Each little exposure or contamination seems to bother me longer and worse than the last. I now get bad asthma when I eat gluten. Brian explained it this way. The gluten causes me to have a leaky gut. What that means is that any toxin I eat can go straight to my blood stream through my intestines, getting anywhere in my body that it wants. I'm tired of spending my days horizontal on a couch feeling like crap. It's hard to be the annoying person at a restaurant, so we don't really go out to eat much. I even eat gluten free at Pei Wei, but the soy sauce in the air makes my stomach hurt. UGH - I feel like I can't win! Thank goodness for Whole Foods. Need to learn to be more of a gourmet chef so that I can actually enjoy eating again. Brian continues to be such a support. Except when he's drinking an orders the most delicious looking pizza I've ever seen.... I salivated so much I had to go to the other room for fear that I might actually eat a slice. Some of my residency friends have invited me to Thanksgiving. It's my first gluten free Thanksgiving (although there will be lots of gluten in the kitchen, just not in my food). I thank those friends in advance for putting up with my experimental cooking and strict rules about what utensils can be put where. I've met several other people with celiac / severe gluten intolerance the last few months. It's always nice to find someone to commiserate with and share ideas about G-free foods. What bums me out is that none of the ones I have met have as bad of a reaction as I do. They're able to "cheat"! So I've been pretty bummed out lately, to say the least. I'm tired of feeling tired and tired of being miserable. So I went out and bought myself some new clothes (with stretch in case of accidental glutenation), jewelery, make-up, and I'm finally wearing my hair down again. It feels good. (=

Tonight we're going to a Miami Heat game. We've got VIP tickets again. Park with the players and enter with the rich and famous. We're definitely looking forward to it!

July and August

Holy moly - what an absence in my blogging! I blame several factors. Life in general has been really busy. Our computer typically sits in the 2nd bedroom, and I feel like I'm going off to a cave by myself so I try to avoid it. I spend far too much time on my iPhone, which means less time on the computer. But blogging brings me joy, so I'm back at it!

It's been a crazy different life the last few months. I took and passed the Florida boards. Received my official license in the mail just yesterday! Feels like a bit of freedom - I'm tired of needing my charts double checked and co-signed every time I see a patient! Residency is going wonderfully. I love my schedule and I learn more in one day than I did in a month while I was in school! I really enjoy everyone I work with - especially the other residents. I'm already sad that this is only lasting a year. However, I can't wait to say goodbye to the crappy pay. That's the downfall of a residency.

My grandpa passed away suddenly in July, and I was unable to return home. I've never felt so far away. That was really difficult. It was nice to recall lots of memories of grandpa. He was a stinker! Quiet and observant on the outside, but he was a real prankster and jokster. He taught me that goshdarnit, you don't put any sauce on a good steak! I never forgot that, but sometimes I sneak some A1. Just a little. He had my brother take a sniff of some homemade horseradish from the refrigerator. Jacob took such a huge inhale that he nearly (or completely) threw up! Grandpa giggled. Mom and Grandma weren't so happy. Into my 20s, he continued to tease me about having zits. Got a huge one the week he passed - thanks Gramps! He lived a very full life and he is surely missed. I'm proud of my family and the way they've been handling everything - love you all!

Flew to Iowa for a short trip at the end of July. I made a surprise visit to baby Bella Hunerdosse's baby shower, and picked up our new baby - Hops! Hops has been a wonderful addition to our little family. She and Barley have become best friends. We have become professional pee and poop cleaner uppers. But now we leave Hops and Barley out while we go to work, and they do all their business on the potty pad - FINALLY! Hops watches Barley so closely and tries to imitate many of the things that she does. Including the bad habits! Barley seems to smile much more than she did before Hops, so I think they're both very happy. And for the record, I realize it may be weird to talk about my dogs like they're children and I'm okay with that. (=



Last weekend to took all 4 of us to West Palm Beach to meet some friends for the Dave Matthews Band concerts. Following some ticket confusion for Saturday's concert, we ended up in the 17th row. It was a fabulous weekend and we saw 2 amazing concerts. Definitely memorable - just wish Jo could've made it!

And in case you were wondering, YouTube added some really stupid classical music to the video of the pups below. But at least the video is still cute!

Videos of our girls

Sorry for my absence from blogging. Maybe this video will make up for it until I get caught up. (=

This did have fun music along with it, but YouTube is cracking down on copyrighting. Stupid sue happy country - this was much cooler with the music!

Hops 7/13/09 and 7/20/09

She's growing up so quickly!! Can't wait to bring her home.

updated apartment photos

The place is finally starting to come together. We got a lot done in preparation for the 4th of July party we held. Still a lot of boxes to sort through, etc. But it feels great to live here! We love being home. We hope you all get to visit sometime!

Dolphins 7/3/09

Dolphins we saw on July 3rd, 2009.

Venting

Becoming licensed to practice optometry in the state of Florida is a gigantic headache. Reasons I hate the entire process:

1) It costs something like $2400 to take the test. No other state is this expensive.
2) Their webpage is a royal mess and it's difficult to figure anything out.
3) The test is notoriously difficult to pass. They apparently like it that way. I guess it's a method to keep older optometrists from retiring down here in an already O.D. saturated state. The pass rate used to be only 10%. Thankfully it has risen dramatically since then.
4) Even if you pass the test, your license doesn't come in until August or September. Which means you can't get paid to be an optometrist until then - and we graduated in MAY!!! Thank goodness for residency... (even though the pay is crap - at least I don't have to wait until September to get paid!)
5) Registration materials packet was supposed to arrive 30 days prior to the date of the first exam. The three exams started June 27th and last until approximately July 18th. I HAVE NOT YET RECEIVED MY PACKET!!!!!!!!
6) They misspelled my last name. Perhaps part of the reason I have not yet received my packet. "HunDerdosse". GRRR!!!! Despite the crapload of paperwork they have indicating the proper spelling of my last name, they can't get it right. Considering that this is much more than signing up for a mailing list, this should've been triple checked! For goodness sakes, this is a license to practice medicine!! I emailed them to let them know they misspelled my last name. They emailed me to tell me their records are correct. Bullhonkey!!
7) Because they misspelled my last name, I had a difficult time registering to take 2 of the examinations at prometrics centers. As spots filled up, locations filled up, I waited, and waited... After all, they tell us NOT to register until we receive our packet. But even though I knew how to register, I couldn't because they misspelled my name!!! I was clever enough to suspect this was a problem - and upon guessing the improper spelling, was able to sign into the prometric site and sign up for the examinations.
8) When I signed up at prometric - I had to pay another $150 to take the stupid tests!!! WTF?!?!!!!!!!
9) I just found out today that they misspelled my old address, as well. "THeasure Dr" instead of "Treasure Dr". So out there in the mail world, my registration packet is trying to get to my OLD address with the WRONG last name and WRONG street.
10) Last year the center that administers the test malfunctioned and after taking the test, finding out they passed it - some people had to re-take it because they lost their answers!! This year I've already heard tell of people showing up to tests that have been delayed 2 hrs due to technical difficulties. That's so awesome. Can't wait to see what happens to me on test day.

I better pass this bleeping thing... back to studying.

Hops 6/29/09

Baby girl #2 is growing and getting so pretty!!

Still settling in

So we're all moved out the old place, but still unpacking here at the new place. I've been studying for boards and recently came down with a vicious cold, so I feel as though I'm behind schedule at home. I've invited friends over for the 4th of July - so that's some serious motivation to get this place all set up before next Saturday!

We really love this new place. It's so quiet. It's so spacious. This one really feels like a home. I could see us living here for more than 2 years. This condo is bigger than some houses! Not the giant homes our brothers just bought, though. (=

Here's some images from the move.

Our old place as an Ikea storage facility (while we still lived there).


We'd often find Barley hanging out in Ikea bags.


A manatee seen on the day we got our keys! It's near the second set of bridge feet (counting from the grass). We've seen manatees on 2 occasions so far. We've also got great views of the dolphins. More than our last place, we get to watch a lot of birds. And boats! Barley loves to sit on the deck and watch everything going on. We need to determine if she's asking to go outside to the bathroom, or just to hang out. She loves it here! She's getting much better at running around on the hardwood floor. She won't jump unless she's securely on a rug. Learned that one the hard way.

Assembling the Ikea sectional. Holy crap, that was a lot of work. Barley didn't let us finish before she decided to try it out.
Boards studying is wearing out Barley, too. I woke up from a nap and found her this way.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

At the request of some other G freers out there (and to show you G full eaters that G free tastes good!)... Please make sure all your ingredients are G free! Some brands of BBQ sauce and canned chicken can sneak it in there. I get my canned chicken at Costco, cheapest place I've found it and it's good quality. Bob's Red Mill makes many fabulous gluten free products/mixes including bread, biscuits, pancakes, chocolate chip cookies, brownies, and chocolate cake. However, not all of his products are g free. The ones that are, are clearly labeled. I find most of my gluten free stuff at Publix and the special stuff at Whole Foods. Whole foods has an entire frozen G free section in their bakery. Expensive, but so worth it if you've been missing out on having a bun with your hamburger!! I make this one package into two pizzas because I don't have a pan large enough for just one. Makes tons of leftovers for just the two of us. Yummy!!!

BBQ Chicken Pizza
-1 pkg Bob's Red Mill Pizza Crust (includes yeast packet and instructions; only need to add egg and oil)
-canned chicken
-red onion
-cilantro
-mozarella

I follow the instructions on the pizza crust package. I cook the canned chicken in a pan with some EVOO. Sometimes I add some garlic. I add some of the BBQ sauce to the chicken, and I spread some more BBQ sauce directly on the crust with a spatula (after the pre-baking, of course). It tells when to add the toppings, so feel free to vary what you're putting on top! Now if only I could come up with a variation similar to Pizza Hut Taco Pizza...


Gluten warning:
Lindt Dark Chocolate Truffles After two days in a row of getting sick to my stomach and waking up in the middle of the night in agony, I finally pinned it down to my favorite chocolate truffles. I've been bringing some home every time I go to Total Wine for the past few years. The very last listed on the ingredient list - "barley malt extract". Son of a gun.

Also watch out for imitation crab and soy sauce when you're eating sushi. They've got wheat galore.

Ten year anniversary

Ten years ago today, Brian wrote me a beautiful poem in which he asked me to be his girlfriend. I get goosebumps just remembering it! It's been a joyous ten years. Brian's working today and I'm spending the day packing, moving, and calling the cable company. We'll celebrate on Friday after the move by grilling burgers at our new place and popping open a nice bottle of champagne that I've been saving for a couple of years. We're a pretty low-key couple, and we like it that way.

I received my degree in the mail today! Well it actually came on Saturday, but Brian was the only one home and he was sitting around in his boxers at 1pm so he didn't answer the door. Ha! I guess I finally have "proof" that I'm a doctor. It still blows my mind. "Dr. Hunerdosse" implies that I should know everything there is to know about my field. I know a lot (and I've forgotten a lot)- but there's always more to learn! I'm enjoying my temporary job. It's nice to be making money to do this job instead of paying money to do it. I've seen some very interesting cases and learned a lot in the last month. I wish I had more hours than they've given me, but at the same time I need to chill out and relax a bit. I'm about to work the rest of my life! I have to repay over $230,000 in student loans - there will be no time for resting in the future, might as well get it done now. That's a shocking amount of debt. Trust me, that's almost entirely tuition related. I may live in Miami, but we don't live the high life. If I didn't have Brian (who goes to school for free and it the most amazing support system ever), I'd be living under the bridge down the street. Just to take Florida boards was over $2300!! The most expensive of any state, the most ridiculous abomination of a test ever written, and the state that treats optometrists like dog shit. I just took a review course this weekend (8 hrs Sat and 8 hrs Sunday), so we're all filled with hatred for this stupid test. Somehow I need to squeeze in time for studying. The test is really sneaking up on me. I'll have to hit the books hard after the move. I found out this week that I passed part III of the national boards with flying colors. Woohoo! Now Florida boards are my only huge test remaining. The worst for last. Awesome. (=
Here's a new picture of Hops. She's almost a month old!! We can't wait to add her to the family. Barley's had fun adjusting to the new place as we slowly move in. She can't run very fast on the slippery floors, but she loves everything she can look at from the balcony. Can't wait until we're officially, officially settled!!

Our new address:
Brian and Jocelyn
1881 NE 79th St Causeway
Apt 607
North Bay Village, FL 33141

Does Miami have a real Bay Harbor Butcher?

This post is slightly gruesome, just a warning. For the past 3 days, human body parts have been washing ashore less than a half mile from our condo. Click here to read the full story. I know some of you watch Dexter on Showtime - and this is just as disgusting and terrifying. A real person was chopped into pieces, stuffed into garbage bags, and thrown into the bay. How does this happen? It doesn't even sound real. This killer has to be completely demented. They say all the remains are from one person, which I guess is a relief. But not really. Anyone who would dump human body parts into the bay has to realize that there is a very likely chance that they will be found. There are no outlets to the ocean nearby here. Houses and condos surround the entire area. If the person had a boat, why didn't they go to the ocean? If they pulled off to the side of the road and dumped straight into the water, why didn't they just drive to the Everglades? I'm worried that this person wanted to be caught. I know they're sick and demented, but are they also stupid? I feel like someone that committed such a deliberate act had to know exactly what they were doing. Could this guy have driven by in a boat, one the many that Barley barks at? Could I have seen him? Does his live in North Bay Village? Why did he dump the body here??? Do I pass him on the road when I'm driving? Should I pay more attention to what I see floating in the water? This is crazy, crazy shit. And I live here. I'm keeping the door locked at all times. I'm suspicious of everyone until they find this person. Dexter was entertaining when it was fiction. Now it's terrifying. May God bless that poor victim...

Hops

It's official - we're getting Hops!! (That's another dog, for those of you who haven't heard me talking about a 2nd puppy for what seems like years.) She was born May 17, 2009. She currently looks a little like a lamb or a rat, but we love her anyway. Barley is in desperate need of a best friend in the home, and we've got plenty of love to share. She's actually coming to us from Iowa! Henry's Maltese is Tama, IA will be shipping her to us (it's not as scary as it sounds) in August. Can't wait for her to join our family! For all of you who we've been telling forever that a maltese would just make your life amazing (you know who you are!), here's your chance to have a sibling of one of our pups! http://www.henrysmaltese.com You won't regret it! (=

Gluten = my enemy

At the very beginning of May, two of my best friends were in town. It was an awesome thing to hang out Luther-style in South Florida. It's a wonderful thing to have friends around whom you can completely be yourself. I got to walk around in my tank tops and flip flops and feel like I fit in. No high heels, clubs, or fancy drinks here! A sinkful of beer and years worth of memories - it was a fantastic weekend that I was sad to see end! Jane - wish you were there instead of fending off the swine flu in Mexico!! I'd like to think that within the next ten years, we'll all live just a short drive away from each other. During that fantastic weekend, I enjoyed lots of beer, a hamburger on a bun, onion rings, and a giant chimichanga that I continued to stuff down even after I reached full. Little did I know, that was the last chimichanga I'd ever eat at Tiajuana Taxi Co., and likely anywhere else for that matter. It was beyond delicious. I think I will remember it forever.

Our last morning together at Tiffany's hotel on Ft. Lauderdale beach, Jo and I watched Good Morning America, a habit that I picked up from Jo in college. Elisabeth Hasselbeck was featured this particular morning. She was discussing her battle with celiac disease and her new book about it.


Jo said, "Hey - maybe that's what you have!" Jo has known me for a long time, and lived with me for a year in college. I'm pretty sure that I remember a particular incident when her and Josh actually heard me farting from the other room. The more Elisabeth described the problem, the more it sounded like myself. Bloating, burping, extreme fatigue. I bought the book and 2 related ones at Barnes and Noble the next day.

I guess I had come to accept swelling up to the size of a 7 month pregnant lady after meals was normal. Since my freshman year of college, I'd been blaming it solely on dairy. I've been purchasing Lactaid or lactase enzymes since college, although I didn't always remember to take them when I had dairy. The milk in our fridge is lactose free. Yet my problems persist. Could it really be GLUTEN that causes my gastrointestinal system to act so much differently than everyone else's? Gluten - the same thing found in beer, bread, tortillas, cookies, cakes - my favorite foods and drinks??? Also found in BARLEY, the name of my dog?!?!? In my four years of medical education, I don't remember even a single mention of Celiac Disease or Sprue. However, a certain future M.D./Ph.D. that I live with had suggested a few years ago that I may suffer from such a condition. I wish I had taken him more seriously back then. Since that Monday, I've maintained a gluten free diet with only a few rebellions.

I'll try to explain a little bit about the condition.

Definition of Celiac Disease from Mayo

Celiac disease is a digestive condition triggered by consumption of the protein gluten, which is found in bread, pasta, cookies, pizza crust and many other foods containing wheat, barley or rye. If you have celiac disease and eat foods containing gluten, an immune reaction occurs in your small intestine, causing damage to the surface of your small intestine and an inability to absorb certain nutrients.

Eventually, the decreased absorption of nutrients (malabsorption) that occurs with celiac disease can cause vitamin deficiencies that deprive your brain, peripheral nervous system, bones, liver and other organs of vital nourishment. This can lead to other illnesses and stunted growth in children.

No treatment can cure celiac disease. However, you can effectively manage celiac disease through changing your diet.

SYMPTOMS

There are no typical signs and symptoms of celiac disease. Most people with the disease have general complaints, such as:

• Intermittent diarrhea
• Abdominal pain
• Bloating

Sometimes people with celiac disease may have no gastrointestinal symptoms at all. Celiac disease symptoms can also mimic those of other conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome, gastric ulcers, Crohn's disease, parasite infections, anemia, skin disorders or a nervous condition.

Celiac disease may also present itself in less obvious ways, including:

• Irritability or depression
• Anemia
• Stomach upset
• Joint pain
• Muscle cramps
• Skin rash
• Mouth sores
• Dental and bone disorders (such as osteoporosis)
• Tingling in the legs and feet (neuropathy)

Some indications of malabsorption that may result from celiac disease include:

• Weight loss
• Diarrhea
• Abdominal cramps, gas and bloating
• General weakness and fatigue
• Foul-smelling or grayish stools that may be fatty or oily
• Stunted growth (in children)
• Osteoporosis
• Anemia

What I personally experience: FATIGUE, pot-belly bloating, anxiety, irritability, belching, farting, anemia (borderling), lactose intolerance, problems with enamel on my teeth, decreased padding on the bottom of my feet, family history of auto-immune disease... all findings associated with CD

The only treatment: gluten free-diet. Perhaps I wouldn't have been as likely to go G-free if I hadn't seen that a possible side-effect of untreated CD is infertility (we all know I have baby fever), GI cancer, and increased liklihood of auto-immune disease. I should make it clear that we're not 100% certain that I have this actual disease. And actually, I really hate even calling it a disease because of how some people interpret that word. What I can tell you is that after going gluten free, I've had much more energy. I'm in a better mood in general. I can fall asleep without burping and farting. When I have broken down and snuck a little gluten back in my diet, I have been awaken in the middle of the night multiple times due to pain from my abdomen swelling up. I can only imagine what is going on with my intestines in those situations. At the very least, I have a sensitivity to gluten. Eventually, I will go see a doctor to get the proper diagnosis (celiac disease vs. gluten intolerance), but I am unwilling to give up the time or the money at this point. Especially when all the doc will say is "eat G-free and you'll be just fine" for both situations. I'm already doing that, although it's hard to accomplish.

No more homebrew for me. Brian brewed 4 special kegs for my graduation, and I didn't get to have any of them. I have to make special gluten free pizza at home rather than ordering delivery. No more Honey Bunches of Oats in the morning. Eating at restaurants is very difficult. If I order a hamburger and it comes with a bun, I can't just take the bun off and eat it. Gluten contamination happens very easily. I scoffed at this at first. I couldn't be that sensitive to gluten, right? Well, certain experiments at home have showed that I am. Although this G free thing is somewhat of a pain in my ass, I'm really, really happy to have discovered this diet. I'm feeling great. As my family and friends who will be eating with me at any point in the future - please don't feel burdened by my new diet. I'm able to find something I can eat at almost any restaurant, even though I may have to have a conversation with the waiter or cook about keeping my food safe. I'm getting used to bringing my own food along with me, just in case where I end up doesn't offer anything gluten-free. At my graduation dinner last Saturday, I chose the chicken meal months before starting this diet. I came hungry. When they sat chicken wrapped in phyllo dough with stuffing in front of me, I caved and ate it. My stomach immediately started churning and I was awake in bed burping with a swollen stomach much of the night before my actual graduation. I won't make that mistake again. Well, at least I think I won't. I'll concoct ways to make Grandma Deegan's macaroni and Hunerdosse lemon cookies in a G-free way, but that doesn't mean I want anyone else to give up the G-full versions!! I really don't want to burden anyone. Now it's just a little more complicated. Brian is extremely supportive, eating all the G-free stuff I'm cooking at home. And he seems to really like it! And we've both lost weight. I finally feel full after meals. I suspect that's because I'm starting to absorb nutrients.

For the record (because I know you all were worried, haha) - I have found some gluten free beers. I'll teach you about them sometime. (=

Well family and friends, now you know about my gluten free adventures. I feel happier and healthier than ever.

New Condo

Firstly, I'd like to apologize for the long absence from blogging! This happened to be one of the busiest months of my life. What a ride!

We found a beautiful new condo to rent that's just down the street from where we currently live. Two bed, two and a half bath, and TONS of closet space. We're looking forward to having 2 covered parking spaces and our own washer/dryer - things we've been without the last 2 years. It has hardwood floors - which look sharp and will be good for Barley (and her sister Hops - which we hope to be getting soon!). We are completely thrilled and can't wait for the move!

Above: View from master bedroom

If you'd like to see more pictures of the condo, they can be found at this link. New condo pics

I got the residency!!

I'm hired!! The new low vision / primary care resident at Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry!! Woohoo!! The interview was just a formality, they made it pretty clear that they'd already decided to hire me. The more I learn about the position, the more I love it. I'll make the next blog about the details of the residency. I know many of you have no idea what an optometry residency is all about - I didn't until just a few weeks ago! Tonight I plan on relaxing a little bit. I just finished part III of the national board examination for optometry. I had a written exam on Friday and a clinical skills exam today. Everything went nice and smooth, except for the fact that I forgot to remove the soft contact lens before inserting the hard contact lens - but I soon realized my mistake and had time to repeat that part of the station at no penalty. Oops!! Now all that's left is the Florida boards in June, and a multidude of state boards when we're figuring out where Brian might match when he graduates from med school in 4 years. Sorry this is such a short blurb - more details soon!!

Easter and iPhones

We had a nice Easter, just the 2 of us (and Barley). I made a giant fancy meal including an 8 lb ham, smashed potatoes, asparagus wrapped in proscuitto, green bean casserole, and corn bread. Oh, and some Angel Lush cake for dessert! It doesn't replace celebrating Easter with lots of family, but we did have a good day!We got iPhones on Saturday!! We've been with AT&T for a couple years now, so we were ready to renew our contract and get new phones. We had seen some commercials for some Samsung phones that were buy one get one, but it turns out that was only if you were a new AT&T customer, go figure. Since the Samsung no longer seemed like such a good deal, we scratched the itch we'd been feeling and got ourselves some iPhones!! This is truly the most amazing piece of technology I've ever owned. When I wake up in the morning, I can check my email, weather, and news without even getting out of bed. It's got a GPS on it. I used it to find a place to grab some breakfast the other day when I was in an unfamiliar area. Last night I used my Dave Matthews Band app to see last night's setlist, as it was happening. The Pandora app is amazing. It creates your own radio station (free!!!) with your favorite artists/music. I have the yellow pages on my phone. I've got games! I've even got a dog whistle application. I'm soon going to add epocrates, which tells me all the information I'll need to know about the medications I prescribe (i.e. what sizes they come in, what different strengths, if any generic available, prices, and known side effects). There's also an app for medical Spanish! Of course that's going to help me immensely. Mira aqui, por favor!! And I've only just scratched the surface... !!!

Residency interview is today at 1:15pm!! Judging from the other docs I've spoken with, chances look good - but I'm not counting my chickens before they hatch. I'll post later today and let you know how it went. (Does anyone even read this blog anyway??)

NBEO (national boards) part III Friday morning and Sunday afternoon. It's a big week!!

Less than a month

Less than a month until my very last day of clinic as a Nova student. I find myself in serious denial. Soon all these people I've seen on a daily basis are going to spread across the country and leave me here. Thankfully, Miss Kinga will still be here! Her fiance, Jesse, is doing a 4 yr oral surgery residency at Nova starting this summer. Yesterday we had a relaxing day by the ocean. I look forward to more days at the beach over the next 4 years!! (and I obviously need to work on my tan!)

The moon looked beautiful over the water last night. Brian insisted I take a picture. (=

spring break

I'm on spring break this week. I'm realizing very quickly that I need to do more studying for boards next week than I realized, so there goes the intense spring cleaning I was hoping for.

We went and looked at that house last weekend. It was charming with an amazing backyard. The house had very little closet space (less than we have now). The windows did not look very energy efficient, so that means a sky-high energy bill and also not much hurricane protection. But perhaps the real killer for it was that the landlord lives in and behind the garage. Although he's a nice guy, that's a little close for comfort. So it's a no-go on this one. We'll keep looking!

It turns out our current apartment is going into foreclosure. We received a copy of the summons a few nights ago. Stinks for our landlords. But from looking at the paperwork, they made a stupid investment. The mortgage they paid for this place was $200 more than we pay them for rent, in addition they pay 7% of the property's value in taxes per year, and have an HOA fee of $300-$400 every month. They've been losing money on this thing since the beginning. They offered to sell it to us at a low price, but we're not ready to buy yet. Foreclosure procedures are taking forever in South Florida, so we aren't going to have to move before the end of our lease (June 24th). And our landlords graciously accepted our deposit as a month's rent, so that we don't have to worry about not getting that money back. So now we're worry free, enjoying our last few months in our corner unit with the lovely view.


Next Wednesday at 1:15pm I have an interview for the residency position at Nova. I am terrified. They said it should be just a "brief" interview. I am still terrified. I think the interview will go absolutely fine, but it is the waiting for the interview to happen that drives me crazy. Anticipation is killer! They sent me information about the school holidays, pay, and general info about the residency. Only 5 and 1/2 personal days for an entire year - that sounds like prison! But then I remember that I was just in optometry school for 4 years, and I wasn't allowed a single vacation day that wasn't already built in, switched with someone else, or had to make-up. So in actuality, this is AMAZING! And there are 5 additional "sick" days. We all know that at least once a year I catch something or another that requires a Z pack.


Last night we had tickets to the Miami Heat vs. New Orleans Hornets basketball game. Our tickets were free and we got to enter/exit through the V.I.P. section. We parked under the AAA, right next to the player's cars. We felt like rockstars. As we were walking in, I see Brian maneuvering his way around this guy to get into the place. I immediately realize that he just went right around Jack McClinton without even noticing. With 3 out of the 4 of us being season ticket holders to Miami Hurricanes basketball - we got very excited! This guy is the all time 3 point leader in the ACC! And this past week, he won the 3 point competition! We wished him well in the draft. It was awesome. And after careful scrutiny, we reluctantly agree that he is 6'1" just as he was listed on the Hurricane basketball programs. But barely.We lost in overtime. That was not awesome. But it was a very entertaining game to watch. Much better than the NCAA championship game!

Residency..... me?!?!?

The job opportunities for a graduating optometrist are bleak out there. Very bleak. Especially in south Florida. And you can imagine that I'm worried since I'm a mere 7 weeks away from graduating. There's even more uncertainty in the equation since I will not receive my Florida state license until August or September. Recently I've been telling Brian that I wish I had done a residency. I would love to specialize in a particular area. Also, if I did a residency at a school, I could also teach. Funny thing happened this week... on Wednesday evening during a late night in my contact lens rotation, I spoke with Dr. Wagner (I did research with her after my first year - she is also chief of the contact lens service). She asked me what I was doing after graduation. I told her I sort of have something lined up for the summer, but I wasn't sure what would be happening after that. She pulled me aside and told me that there is one residency spot left at Nova (my school) and that I should definitely try to get it. This was shocking to me for multiple reasons. 1) More people than ever are doing residencies in optometry this year. They had to apply to a match process by February, and everyone was officially matched by March. I thought that ship had sailed and I had missed the boat! 2) I really really wanted a residency at Nova and viola --- one is available!! and 3) Someone believed in me enough to think that I should be the person to fill that position. Unbelievable. It's just remarkable. (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

The available residency position is in primary care (the sort of style you'd see your regular optometrist in) and low vision. Low vision is a great field, but one that most optometrists would not choose to partake in. It takes a lot of patience. In optometry school, we called it "slow vision". Considering all of the patients in low vision are legally blind, they have to rely on others to get them to their appointments, resulting in lots of no-shows. They still have usable vision in some cases - imagine that they can only see something as small as the big E on the chart, but of course each case is different. Low vision helps patients with vision loss from various causes - macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, Stargardt's, retinitis pigmentosa, albinism, etc. It would be a wonderful thing to have as my "niche" in the world of optometry.

This residency would also allow me to TEACH. I did promise my 2nd grade teacher that I would be a teacher one day. As a resident, I would sometimes work with 3rd and 4th year optometry students when they are seeing patients. I think I'm going to love it. But I'd also have to give a lecture to a classroom full of 100 students, which is slightly more frightening.

So yes I'm thrilled - but it is not yet final. I turned in my C.V. (resume) and a nice cover letter. Since the residency is at my school I have a very good chance (especially since I'm not aware of any other applicants). However, if someone with extensive low vision experience (more than the 1 semester lecutre and 2 weeks clinical that I had), it might not be a sure thing. My next blog might be that it didn't work out. However, so far, so good!! They hope to finalize the position soon. I'll pass on the news, be it good or bad.

Tomorrow morning Brian and I are looking at a house we'd like to rent. It is likely that this house won't still be on the market at the beginning/middle of June, but we are certainly hoping that all the other renters out there hate it (even though that would be completely ridiculous) so that it can be our "home". It is a 2bed/1 bath, 1500 sq ft, 1 car garage, cable/internet/water included, and absolutely at the right price! Here are a few pictures. Wish us luck!

Weekend Picture

Had some friends over on Saturday to celebrate St. Patty's. We all wore green, ate foods that were partially green, and drank some homebrew. It was a nice relaxing evening and we even snuck in a new family photo.