Enjoying NYC

Announcement: I have *officially* completed my first month of residency!! (only 46 more to go, as my Residency Director likes to point out...).

Over the past month I have done some cool stuff (I pushed tPA on a patient!! my med peeps will know what that means. It was very anticlimactic, but cool nevertheless). I have had lots of lectures and educational time as the program eases us into reality. I have made mistakes but fortunately haven't harmed anyone. One huge thing is that I have been talked to a LOT about how HARD intern year is and how important it is that I make the most of my free time.

Being that I am more than a bit of a homebody, this could present a problem. When I am busy and working hard, I am much more inclined to just drop dead at home when I have a day off. My seniors and attendings, however, are telling me that such behavior will lead to a never-ending spiral that ends in hating life. Or something along those lines.

So, I decided to start out strong and have been really enjoying myself during my free days (of which I have had 4.) and Rob has been a tremendous help in working towards this goal.

First off, there 4th of July, when I showed for a shift I wasn't supposed to be working. My salvage: a day on a beach in the Hamptons with Ted (Rob's old roommate) and his family and, ofcourse, Rob. I even took the midnight train back to NYC and had that song "Just a small town girl, livin' in the lonely world... took the midnight train going aaaany-where..." stuck in my head for the two hour ride back. The day was, in a word, fabulous.

Then there was last Sunday, when I hung out with friends on Saturday night at a wine tasting, slept until 11:30, went to fancy-schmantzy brunch at Sarabeth's with friends, discovered that Rob and I in a Barnes and Noble is a recipie for spending WAY too much money and then ended up down at Battery Park looking out at NY Harbor and reading for the afternoon.

This weekend I actually had BOTH days off (amazing!) and I've met new people, gone to brunch x2, took Sashi and Deka to the park, spent the day at Coney Island and am now in the process of cooking some genuine russian dumplings from Brighton Beach. Again, so great!

I think I need to keep this up. (Here's hoping I can!)