Fate, Wait: A haiku.

List is submitted. Results released next Thursday. Waiting quite calmly.

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Match Day: Vote on My Fate!

Help! I have two days to decide where I want to spend the next 4 years of my life!

Welcome to a little thing called "The Match." I've been interviewing all over for residency programs, and now the final thing I need to do is submit a list of the programs I interviewed at, ranking them from most favorite to least. This list gets fed into a computer, along with each program's ranked list of their favorite applicants. Then, through the magic of computer-ology, my list is compared against their lists, looking for the program that was mutually ranked the highest (meaning I ranked them highly as a program, and they ranked me highly as an applicant). The computer will assign me to the highest match, which will be where I'm required to go for my ophtho training. The only problem? Time is running out and I'm having trouble deciding how to rank my list. I have to submit it by noon on January 7th. Sometimes, I sit around thinking how nice it would be if someone else would just rank it for me. So... Here are my options. Where should I go? - California Pacific Medical Center (San Francisco, CA) Great international emphasis, beautiful weather, groovy jazzy funky city, but very pricey and a whole lot of driving. It also has a staggered start, which means I might end up finishing my training 8 months later than other programs do. - Cleveland Clinic/Cole Eye Institute (Cleveland, OH) Beautiful facilities and incredible program philosophy, plus one of the strongest international ophtho programs in the world, but cold, far from home, and...uh...in Cleveland. (This stellar video about Cleveland's awesome attractions is one of the funniest things I've seen lately: http://ohhaveyouseenthis.blogspot.com/2009/05/cleveland-tourism-video.html) - Harvard/Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary (Boston, MA) Huge reputation, extremely cool city, and great international emphasis, plus the other residents are very fun people, but the training is sometimes a little hands-off, and it sure is pricey and far from home. - Indiana University (Indianapolis, IN) Busy, a good chance for plenty of experience, new building, and really nice faculty, but...uh...Indianapolis. - Johns Hopkins/Wilmer Eye Institute (Baltimore, MD) The #1 hospital in America, with one of the top eye programs in America, great international emphasis, and an incredible chance to work with an inner-city population, but it can tend to be a high-pressure training program, and Baltimore is freaky. - Loma Linda Medical Center (Loma Linda, CA) Really awesome emphasis on mind/body/spirit completeness, good international ties, great refractive surgery training, and tons of fun outdoorsy stuff to do on days off. On the downside, the program isn't very well-known, and I'd have to do a lot of self-teaching. - Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN) It's no secret that I have a big crush on Mayo, and their ophtho program is also really good, but it would be nice to expand the scope of my training by experiencing another hospital system. - MedCollege of Wisconsin/Milwaukee Eye Institute (Milwaukee, WI) Milwaukee is so much cooler than I had ever pictured it, and their ophtho program is solid, with a good VA hospital and really diverse patients, but it's freezing cold and far from friends and family. - University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ) Oh Tucson, I've missed you. The ophtho program is small, but full of really nice, fun residents and faculty, plus plenty of really grateful patients and a lot of chances for speaking Spanish, but they don't have a retinal surgeon on staff. - UCLA/Jules Stein Eye Institute (Las Angeles, CA) Great reputation, huge volume and variety of cases, and a really solid record for producing very successful graduates. The drawback is that their sites are as far as 50-miles apart, which can take several hours in LA traffic, and I'm kind of afraid LA would turn me into an evil person. - University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA) As a state university, I think people underestimate this one, but it's one of the top ophthalmology programs in the country. They have unbelievably nice people, phenomenal training, and affordable cost of living plus all in the quirky atmosphere of a university town. As a drawback, it could get a little lonely there, and the nearest major airport is hours away. - University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI) Like Iowa, this is an incredible ophtho program hiding out in a state school. They have tons of world-class research and faculty, plus a brand new building. The weather is frigid, and nearby Detroit scares the bejeebies out of me. - University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT) High surgery volume, international emphasis (Geoff Tabin is my hero), beatiful outdoors (they include a ski resort season pass in the salary), close to family, and really nice people with good values, but somehow I didn't feel like I quite fit in there. - University of Wisconsin (Madison, WI) I spent a month there for an away rotation and found the faculty to be brilliant, humble, and kind. The research is top notch, and the VA hospital is full of really groovy old dudes. But again, the weather, the distance, and the cost of living close to the university are drawbacks. - Washington University (St. Louis, MO) Really appealing facilities, program philosophy, research rotation, and international opportunities, plus very nice people and very diverse patients. True, it's a drawback that St. Louis is reported to have one of the highest crime rates in the country.

That's the scoop. Tell me where to go!

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Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I'm finally home from a full month of non-stop travel! Huzzah! The village rejoices! Here are some odds and ends from along the way: A visit to Arizona wouldn't be complete without Sabino Canyon, where holiday spirit was in the air and mutant Christmas trees abounded. Despite the deceptive sunny skies and cacti making it seem like everything would be warm, the water was freezing cold. A friend of mine from school was in Arizona for an interview so we went up to see the Grand Canyon, which was gorgeous all covered in snow. This is from California's Joshua Tree National Park a few days later. They have some of the most amazing rock-climbing sites I've ever seen, ...plus a massive, eerie skull-shaped boulder. Later, there was a trip to Hoover Dam, which I'd always thought was just a nifty place to drive past. This time, I stopped for the tour and gained a whole new appreciation for why it's considered the engineering achievement of the 20th century. Finally, New Year's Eve with friends in Las Vegas. We partied like only sober people can, including front-row seats for David Copperfield, Le Reve (I have no idea what the plot was supposed to be about, but it sure was pretty), a visit to the pawn shop where Pawn Stars is filmed. I saw The Old Man in real life! And Rick! I thought I'd faint! (...in related news, I've begun to suspect I'm a dork), and an exhilerating sidewalk meeting with The Peanut M&M. (...further evidence for the dork theory.)

My Very Favorite Parents

I got to spend two days with my Mom and Dad!

It seems like everyone who's ever met me has inevitably come to realize that my parents are the stuff legends are made of. A visit with them always hovers somewhere between being an utter train wreck and hilarious history in the making.

For example, there was the time my dad randomly stepped into his room for a few minutes, then came out dressed like this:

¡Es el Chapulín Colorado!

There was the time my sister, Beth, came home and realized there was a live chicken wandering around in the kitchen. When she asked my dad about it, he just said, "We like chicken. We might eat it one of these days."

Infinitely practical food expert

Or the time when some of my college girly friends and I went camping in the White Mountains but my dad wouldn't let us leave for the campsite until he had attempted to convince each and every one of us that we should carry pistols on our belts for protection from the bears.

The Glorious Gun Geezer Glenn

And of course, there are all those times my mom has carried on an entire conversation using only her patented catch phrases: "I don't know what's in your food that made you so silly, but I'm glad it's not in mine," and "Wanna play Rummy?" (By the way, if you turn down the Rummy offer, she'll follow up by offering to play Four Kings, then finish by insisting you play Canasta. I think that Canasta is her favorite game because she doesn't actually know how to play it, which means she gets to make up the rules from minute to minute to suit her fancy. I always lose.)

Behind those Harry Carey glasses lurks a Canasta cheater!

Last of all, there are my favorite moments: The times when mom randomly makes dad drop everything in order to dance with her right there in the living room. I hope to continue that tradition someday.

They're funky, but they're mine, and I love them more every day. :-)

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My classy hotel in Hollywood

Perhaps I should have worried when the hotel's front desk clerk was behind 3-inch-thick bulletproof glass. Or perhaps when I had to pay a $5 cash deposit in exchange for the television remote control. Or maybe when I had to step over a homeless man asleep in the outdoor breezeway on the way to my hotel room. Or when the door of said hotel room had 4 locks on it, one of which had recently been broken by brute force. Or when all but one of the room's light bulbs had been stolen by its previous occupant. Or when the toilet tank in the bathroom had no lid to cover its inner workings. Or when I found a half-empty bottle of gin tucked neatly under the ironing-board cover. Perhaps I should have worried, but there comes a point when you're just tired enough to click the 4 locks and peacefully drift off to sleep.

Things forgotten. Things remembered.

December has been a busy month for interviews. Here's a sketch of my life for the last week: Wednesday: 10 hour interview day in Minnesota, then a 10 hour drive to Michigan. 2hrs sleep. Thursday: 8 hour interview day in Michigan, then an 8 hour drive to Wisconsin. 4hrs sleep. Friday: 10 hour interview day in Wisconsin, then a 7 hour drive to Indiana. 3hrs sleep. Saturday: 6 hour interview day in Indiana, then a 9 hour drive to Minnesota. 6hrs sleep. Sunday: 12 hours of flights and layovers to get to San Francisco. 4hrs sleep. Monday: 9 hour interview day in San Francisco, then 5 hours to get to Loma Linda. 6hrs sleep. Tuesday: 9 hour interview day in Loma Linda, then 3 hours battling traffic to get to Los Angeles. Wednesday: 7 hour interview day in Los Angeles, and hopefully an awesome night of sleep tonight before I head to Iowa tomorrow then Arizona the next day. What do I remember from any of that travel odyssey? Only this:

Somewhere along I-90 in Chicago, there's a midnight toll booth operator with a black bouffant, a golden voice, and a steely gaze. I didn't have my camera with me, but I swear this recreation with PhotoShop is extremely true-to-life!

Elvis lives, and apparently the economy has been rough on him.

Treasure

With Thanksgiving behind and Christmas ahead, I've been thinking a lot about gratitude and truly appreciating the things I've been blessed with. My mind keeps returning to the kids in Ghana, especially this little boy.

Looking back through my journal, here's his story:

"My favorite part of the outreach clinic day always comes after we finish the vision screenings, while we wait for the bus to come pick us up. Today there was a crowd of children, as usual, so I pulled the little bouncy ball from my backpack to play with them. Most of them have never had the chance to play with anything like it.

"There was one little boy who I had noticed earlier in the day. He was particularly grubby, with flecks of straw stuck in his hair and such dusty clothes that the underlying cloth print was almost indiscernable. But the most notable thing about him was a bulge low on his belly, which I had taken for a huge umbilical hernia. Things like that are common here, since surgery is usually too expensive or too far away.

"When I got out my ball, his face suddenly beamed. Like a connoisseur extracting his most treasured specimen, he reached into the front pocket of his overalls and produced a tennis ball. Completely stripped of its fuzzy green skin, cracked and scaly and brown; the most valuable prize of a 4-year-old boy in the middle of nowhere Ghana."

There is so much to be thankful for.