MD!!!!!

I matched!

I will do my Family Medicine residency at Swedish/Cherry Hill in Seattle!!! I am thrilled, happy for all my classmates who also got the program of their dreams, and grateful for the support of friends and family.

:-)

Hedgehog harmony!!!

I finished putting eyes and a nose on my new heggie! So adorable!
The best part, though, is that they like each other! I hope she can keep his attention long enough to keep my other (non-knitted hedgehogs) safe from his advances...

Happy pi day, and have a good weekend!

T-7 days and counting...

... Until Match Day! For those that don't know, Match Day is a tradition where, at the same time all over the country, thousands of graduating medical students receive an envelope containing the name of the program to which they are committed to do their residency training for the next several years. It is a major event for all of us, more important to many than gradation itself. Expect to hear from me on March 19th!

In other news, I finally coaxed my new hedgehog into the limelight! He is a bit difficult and uncooperative, but once I finish making him a girlfriend (pink with rainbow fur) he will hopefully get a bit more domesticated. Sadly, I made a significant error in my short-rows, and she may end up with a bit more of a boo-tay than originally intended. :-)A big thank-you to my friend Lois who is on a hat knitting streak!! My poor little ears would never have survived the chilly weather in Alaska this weekend without the thick wool hat she gave me as a surprise.

In garden news, seeds are started and growing indoors... My peas sprouted outside, but we then had a hard freeze. Who knows if they will live? Ah well, at least for this year I shouldn't need to depend on growing peas to survive... ;-)

I just finished up a month in the Emergency Department, and have a few days to catch up with life before starting Orthopedics. After that, Neurology... and then graduation! This is all coming a little bit fast for me...

EDIT: Bootay hedgehog is all done, and going into the washing machine even as we speak! Fortunately, since she was born a bit funky (what with the angular behind and the rainbow fur) she should not be as shy as the blue one... ;-)

A little shy...

A new (felted) hedgehog was born today... he is still a bit damp, though, and VERY shy. Hopefully in the next few days I can persuade him to smile for the camera!

Knitting, hiking, and photographic evidence...

First, the beginning of a Fiber Trends huggable hedgehog (prior to felting):

What an easy to follow pattern!!! I can't wait to finish and felt!

Next, a satisfying hike up West Tiger #3... There was a temperature inversion today, so it was about 65 degrees at the top (and 34 at the bottom when we started)!


There were some very aggressive birds at the summit... after they tried to steal someone's lunch, we discovered that they are easily bribed into a photo op!


Finally, proof that my cantankerous christmas cactus actually bloomed:

General observations and thoughts (non-knitting):

1) On letting things be: I have been fussing with a Christmas cactus for 3 years. I got it from SO's mom as a small cutting, and planted it right away. Despite all the fussing, it has grown slowly and looked kinda wimpy. I have mainly ignored it this winter, except for the occasional watering. Lo and behold, flower buds! When I stopped trying. Perhaps there is a moral to this story?

2) On meditation: I sure do have a busy mind! I had stopped meditating 2 years ago, because of general busyness. I tried again today, by burning a candle and meditating until the flame went out. I am always surprised by the volume of unnecessary thoughts that fly through my mind! I put the lovely thin candle in a small flowerpot (the previous tenant of said pot died and shriveled up a year ago) full of old potting soil instead of sand (no sand to be found in my house). I got a surprise at the end, when the soil caught on fire!

3) On exercise and diet and weight: Just do it for heaven's sake! I spent far too much time planning and scheduling, and it is much easier to surrender and just go to the gym. Or put down the Christmas cookie and back slowly away... This spring, I will go back to my baseline weight from college: 15 lbs less than current. It will be great to fit in my drysuit next winter!