2008: pretty great

shopping details
if you are anything like me, i am sad when someone writes about going shopping and then does not share what they got.
so here it is:

indigo wool sweater that (seriously) looks better on me than the model, because it is shorter and less boxy

stripy sweater with awesome buttons that also looks better than it appears in this picture

gray cotton pants that will go with everything and still need to be hemmed despite being “petite”

all from the petite section of banana republic. i was disappointed by benetton, where i have found some fabulous finds in the past, and nordstrom, which really didn’t have any of the good stuff on sale. ann taylor had a couple of near-misses, but nothing fit quite right. j. crew was a total disappointment — mostly all they had was ‘resort collection’ type-stuff, and sadly there will be no resorts for me in the coming months. the few remnants of winter that they did have left were obviously still there because they were FUGLY. no thank you.

aaaaaand speaking of fugly, i also got new shoes for work (at aldo). now, i realize that they are not in the least bit cute. but they have sneaker-type bottoms, heels to make me AT LEAST 5’3″, and they are supremely comfortable. and while they are ugly, i still consider them less disgusting than the dreaded crocs or danskos.

2008 in review
i feel like 2008 was somewhat crazy. in summary, i spent 6 months as an intern and 6 months as a 2nd year resident. i survived the PICU (barely). i trained hard for a marathon and busted my hip, and then i gradually got better. i did not sleep as much as i would have liked. my 95 year old grandfather passed away. barack obama won the election! and i reinvigorated my blog.

that about covers the main points.

and of course, there were the resolutions . . .

1. remain calm under pressure. hmm. i really did not do so well with this at certain times (PICU), but i think i’m slowly starting to do a bit better (ie, the much-better NICU month in november). i will definitely be continuing to work on this one in ’09.

2. read more for work. um, define ‘more’? see, i didn’t do so well with setting concrete goals for 2008. i think i did a fair job on this — i definitely did more than some of my colleagues, but less than others. to be honest, i think i can be more consistent and focused on learning now that i really feel like a more senior resident. intern year is just so frenetic and stressful that it makes it very hard to sit still and absorb the more complex things.

3. read more for fun. let’s see: the books i can remember reading in 2008 include:
– julie & julia by julie powell
– eat, pray, love by elizabeth gilbert
– norwegian wood by haruki murakami
– what i talk about when i talk about running by haruki murakami
– a prayer for owen meany by john irving
– the wind-up bird chronicle by haruki murakami (finished last night!)

while that’s not a mile-long list, that’s actually wayyyy more reading than i’ve done in previous years, and i have loved every bit of it. so definitely a success!

4. discover more new music. again, i did really well with this one! as i wrote about previously, early in the year, i decided that i would buy 2 new albums a month, and that practice really helped me to get to know new artists and appreciate different kinds of music. i will definitely continue this in ’09.

5. travel at least one place exciting and new. while asheville, NC may not be the world’s most exotic destination, josh and i decided that we would make it our big trip for 2008. since we didn’t have to pay to fly anywhere, we chose to stay in some posh digs (the grove park inn) and had a blast hiking, rafting, and sampling some fantastic restaurants. it was great.

6. floss (of course). agahghghghghh. no comment.

7. improve my wardrobe and generally look more put-together. i think i finally started making progress on this point when i finally ditched the 2 pairs of jeans i had been wearing since 2003 (one had holes in the knee . . . the other had a hole next to the zipper) and got replacements at banana republic. there are still things i would like to add to my wardrobe, but in general i have enough respectable outfits i can put together. of note, i never bought any of the boots i coveted (see this post). recently, i finally decided on the caroline campus boots (and they were even ON SALE!), but they no longer seem to exist in my size. it’s probably just as well. i have hayden patteniere-style stubby lower limbs, and recently i saw a picture of her in jeans tucked into boots. it wasn’t pretty.

8. pack better lunches (and avoid eating food that sucks just because it’s ‘there’ or ‘free’). overall, i did well with this one. even though it takes a few extra minutes in the morning, i really do prefer having my own stash to eating free, subpar, unhealthy food on a daily basis. i will definitely continue to pack (and shun drug reps!) this year.

9. enjoy and appreciate my running. yes . . . and no. i enjoyed it so much i didn’t stop when i started to get funny twinges in my hip, and i paid a big price. i feel lucky that i managed to have somehow recovered, but i approach every training cycle now with trepidation, since the last two marathon training cycles left me crippled. through the injury/recovery experience, though, i really did gain a new appreciation for running. while training and doing races is fun, it is the daily practice of running that is the real gift.

10. hang out with my sister more. we did hang out more — but now it’s been too long again. rebecca, we need to plan some fun outings, and SOON!

11. enjoy my work. you know, overall i think i did enjoy my work this year. i really like my weekly continuity clinic, and i think i went to work most days with a positive attitude. there is always room for improvement here — and specifically, i need to learn how to KEEP positive when things get tough — but i think i did okay.

12. look into a research project for next year. well, i sort of did this — looking into mentors for future projects for when i’m a fellow, anyway. more importantly, i secured my spot as pediatric endocrine fellow in 2010 — meaning that my career dreams will come true! hooray!

13. work on being a better teacher/mentor to med students. hmmm. i think at times i was great — and at other times i could have done better. it is very difficult to strike a balance when you have sick patients to deal with as well as students to teach! i think that this year, i’ll try to prepare more teaching materials in advance.

14. post more to my blog. YES! definitely succeeded with this one.

15. do more yoga. well, i guess i am now incorporating a bit of yoga, but mostly for stretching/relaxation purposes. i think i just like it to be low-key, but i do realize it’s an important balance to all the running. i would like to continue doing some yoga regularly in 2009.

16. see more movies. i feel like i did see some great movies this year. i think my favorites were probably atonement and (very recently!) the shape of things.

17. live in the moment. i think i’ll be working on this until i end up dying in the moment. and that’s okay.

18. appreciate what i have. you know, in general, i really do. i feel very content with life and lucky to have a wonderful job (other than the call nights!), amaaaaaazing husband, and loving family and friends. i don’t really feel lacking for anything (except maybe boots . . . just kidding!). while i am always looking for ways to make things even better, that’s just part of who i am, and i ENJOY the process.

so that’s it for 2008. tomorrow, we’ll talk about 2009. whew!

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workout: 6 miles @ 8:57/mi, with 3 hills of 3-5 minutes in length, 2-3% incline built in.
20 minutes weights:
– pushups, 2 x 11
– plie squats, 15 lb weight, 2 x 12
– lat pulldowns, 55 lbs, 2 x 10
– tricep pressdowns, 15 lbs, 2 x 10
– lunges, 2 x 10 double lunges with 8 lb weights
– abs: 2 x 15 regular and 2 x 15 bicycle crunches

forgive me martha for i have sinned: i decided that with a trip to miami on the horizon and leftovers in the fridge, this wasn’t a great week to load up with groceries and cook new things. so josh polished off the indian while i had the exceptional delicacy of annie’s mac ‘n’ cheese, canned salmon, and mixed veggies, allllll mixed together. hey, don’t knock it until you try it!