I’ll Probably Regret This Later (But Not Right Now)

It started innocently enough when I walked outside of The Lawyer’s condo this morning to get a bottle of Propel from my car.  I had been dutifully studying at his desk for hours, so I had no idea how perfect it is outside today.

No. idea.

I got my Propel and came back inside to my study cave, but all I could think about was the cool temperature and warm sunshine.  So, I went for a walk.  In the middle of the day.  When I have an NBME final on Monday.

I've been told that normal people actually leave their homes and see the light of day during waking hours.  I remember this phenomenon vaguely.

The Lawyer lives a few blocks from Meridian Hill Park, which is one of the best kept secrets in DC, if you ask me.  It’s a large, open, European style garden with fountains (that are not turned on yet Washingtonians, but the ponds are filled), grassy areas for dogs, and shady benches.

 You can also see a few recognizable landmarks, so if you have out of town family that's all, "We want to see DC!," you can show them this:

Hi, Washington Monument!  I see you!

It was a good walk, and my BFF, Dr. Goljan, was nice enough to accompany on my midday excursion--in audio form.

Now that I'm back inside, the high pollen count has left its mark, and my nose is running.

I hate you, DC spring.

So yes, I am that nerdy kid who can't go outside because of my allergies.  But!  Dr. Goljan tells me that Vitamin D can only be synthesized when sunlight is streaming at an acute angle, which only occurs during the middle of the day.  So, take that allergies!

I'm making me some cholecalciferol and I like it!

(Wow, this Boards studying has gotten out of hand, hasn't it?)

Things I Love & Things I Hate

All of my friends on Facebook are reposting this article on turning 30, which is likely due in part to the fact that many of them--including me!--are turning 30 this year.

I was reticent to read this article, though, because I’m already aware of my position in life.  I know that women my age are married, starting families, and growing their nest eggs, while I—who remains unwed and without child--follow my dreams to the tune of $300K in debt.  With 8.5% interest.

But, lo and behold, it’s kind of awesome and validating.  

By 30, you should have ...

1. One old boyfriend you can imagine going back to and one who reminds you of how far you’ve come.

2. A decent piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in your family.

3. Something perfect to wear if the employer or man of your dreams wants to see you in an hour.

4. A purse, a suitcase, and an umbrella you’re not ashamed to be seen carrying.

5. A youth you’re content to move beyond.

6. A past juicy enough that you’re looking forward to retelling it in your old age.

7. The realization that you are actually going to have an old age -- and some money set aside to help fund it.

8. An email address, a voice mailbox, and a bank account -- all of which nobody has access to but you.

9. A résumé that is not even the slightest bit padded.

10. One friend who always makes you laugh and one who lets you cry.

11. A set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra.

12. Something ridiculously expensive that you bought for yourself, just because you deserve it.

13. The belief that you deserve it.

14. A skin-care regimen, an exercise routine, and a plan for dealing with those few other facets of life that don’t get better after 30.

15. A solid start on a satisfying career, a satisfying relationship, and all those other facets of life that do get better.

From Huffington Post.

No, I haven't achieved everything on the list, but the second list, "By 30, You Should Know," left me going, "Oh, yes!"  

(But, I do have luggage, a purse, and an umbrella that I’m not ashamed of.  And, before the Massive Debt Accumulation Project, also known as “medical school,” yes, I did buy a few pieces of furniture from somewhere other than Craig's List.)

As for Things I Hate, why are female physicians STILL making 40% less than their male counterparts?  

From the Medscape 2012 Physician Compensation Report.

The end of this slide states that many women are working part-time, but is that all that those numbers are reflecting?  I’d like to petition the universe to pay 40% less for medical school than my male counterparts!

I Don't Keep Him Because of the Presents, But They're a Nice Perk

Receiving unexpected package notifications from The Lawyer can only mean one thing:

He usually sends flowers when I'm studying, so that I can at least have something pretty to look at, while I'm sitting for hours at my desk or coffee table.  

I’d also like to thank him for forcing me to actually stand up and walk somewhere.  It is finals/Boards study time after all, and save for the email notification from my building telling me to come downstairs to receive my “package,” I’d really have no incentive to leave this apartment.

So, Apparently I Didn't Fail

Remember my little rant about possibly failing the IV portion of my clinical exam, because I didn't put a stupid piece of tape over the Tegrederm on the finished placement?

It appears that that was unnecessary.

Woo!

That also means that I was unnecessarily harsh to the mean SP who lectured me about tape application.  But, he has seriously burned me on past exams, so I will still be treading with caution and applying tape meticulously!

Anyway, since the theme of this week's blog posts is self-deprecation, I thought I'd show you what I was doing on the afternoon before that exam.

Yes, that is a grapefruit with IV tubing in it.

The Lawyer was at work and I needed to practice, so I figured that if medical students can learn how to do manual vacuum aspirations on papayas, I could place an IV in a grapefruit.  So, I did.  And then, The Lawyer had to eat a saline tainted grapefruit for breakfast the next morning.

(But, I passed my exam and he lived, so everything's fine!)

Don't Bother With the Cute Underwear, You Won't Need It.

That's right, I've got a good old-fashioned story about panty-dropping for you today!  Sadly, it involves my urologist and not my boyfriend.

I know.  The disappointment.

Anyway, I'm guest blogging over at Your Doctor's Wife, by sharing the mortifying tale of my first urology visit.   See how I love you?  I humiliate myself because I care.

So, go check it out, have some belly laughs, and leave some blog-lovin' for Mrs. Doc H!

Medical Student Disgustingness

I originally started this post for the haters, who are all, "Your life is so boring now!  All you do is talk about The Lawyer," wah wah wah.

I mean, if you want to talk about boring, you have no idea how much material I have.  LOOK AT WHERE I SPEND MY LIFE!  I will school you on boring things!

(OK, fine.  I really don't care about people calling me boring.  I just wanted a study break last night...hee hee.)

My favorite study spot in the library:

I was going to label all of the items in my little study area, including the plethora of non-caffeinated drink items (I like to save my caffeine high for before my exams...now you know).  Or, the bag containing my super healthy (not!) lunch and dinner combo from Baja Fresh.  Or, the number of "Don't be this guy!" signs, instructing people not to use cell phones in the library (haha).

But before I could write any of these things, I saw another guy:

He is sitting two computers down from me, with his bare feet on the table.  And yes, he is picking his toes.

I understand that medical training is supposed to prime me for a certain level of disgusting situations, but that is some serious nastiness!  In my unsolicited opinion, if you need to air out and/or pick your toes, you should be studying in the privacy of your own home.

Oh, and for my classmates who know where my favorite study spot and whose feet those are, do not tell him that I covertly took this picture and then posted it on the internet.  He's a nice guy and I like him a lot, but come on.  COME ON!

Happy Friday!

Just Another Day Sitting Next to the Sperm Tank

If you’ve ever wondered what 2^nd year medical students do during their clinic hours, now you know.  We sit quietly, in the back of the room next to the frozen sperm containers, listen to infertility consultations, and try to learn something.

I actually learned quite a bit from the Ob/Gyn I worked with this year, though, and am going to miss her a ton.  Today was my last day…boo!

(I also feel compelled to say that most of the IVF/IUI in this office are actually very successful, so the sperm tank is a happy one and I'm honored to sit next to it!)

One of the Reasons I Hate Medical School, Which Incidentally Has Nothing to Do With Medicine

So, I think that I just failed the IV portion of my clinical final.

I did everything perfectly and in the correct order, and yes, I got the vein, flushed it with saline, and compressed sufficiently, so that I didn't spurt blood everywhere.  When I was done, I sealed the IV tubing down with Tegrederm, but I couldn't get the tape roll to open.  I took off a glove to pry at it with my bare hands and still, no success.

Since our exams are timed, and the standardized patient gave me a funny look, I had the moment of "Oh crap, now I failed because I took off a glove and I'm going to run out of time."  So, I wrapped up with a, "OK, well, I won't worry about the tape this time," and finished.

And, then?

I got lectured for five minutes by the standardized patient about the proper application of tape.  Which probably means that I failed.

At my medical school, you have to do all the items of the checklist completely and in the correct order.  While I think that the checklist says to "secure" the IV placement (without specifying if you need to put five strips of tape on top of the Tegrederm), I've had this SP in the past and he's particularly mean.  So, if he says that I skipped the last step by "not properly securing the IV," then I have to do a four hour remediation during my final exams.

To learn how to properly apply tape.

What I find most ironic is that when the SP grabbed the tape roll to show me how to do this, he had to try four different rolls before he got one that worked.  He said to me, "Oh, I see why you had trouble."  Then, he proceeded to show me how I should use two pieces of tape, and space the loop of the IV tube his way, not my way, and then, I should put one of piece of tape on the hand, but not on top of the Tegrederm, and put the other piece of tape this far away...

If this didn't just happen to me, I'd be incredulous of someone else telling this story.  Call me crazy, but if I was a patient, I'd care more about a medical student finding my vein quickly, keeping the site sterile, and you know, not causing a hematoma.

So...

You know all of those annoying things that I allude to, but can't talk about here, that make me hate medical school? 

Having a paid actor who knows nothing about IVs or medicine lecture me about the proper application of mother effing tape and then fail me, so that I have to waste four hours of my finals week learning about how much tape I should use, and where, and how the tape should be placed in relation to the Tegrederm--all when I'm not even going to be the one placing the IV on the wards?

That would be one of them.

This is Why I Live in Virginia

This was taken a few blocks away from the medical school (in DC) yesterday.  

Med. Student Meals: Hearty Butternut Squash Soup

I used to love cooking.  Then, I started medical school and got sucked into the most bizarre and tiring time warp ever.  After a year of arduous cooking and lunch-packing, I realized that there was little incentive to the whole home-cooked meal fiasco.  In fact, the extra $200 more per month that it was costing to eat out was WELL worth the saved time for studying!

This led to an empty kitchen, which led to purchasing meals from the hospital cafeteria, which led to FATNESS.

OK, I'm exaggerating.  But, the fact is that home-cooked meals are cheaper and healthier.  Since starting to date The Lawyer, I've been studying at home more, which has led to cooking at home more.  Still, he has a busy schedule, so whatever we make has to be fast, healthy, and freezable for later.   Since it's hard to come up with interesting meals as a medical student (My brain has only so much capacity!), I've decided to start sharing our recipes.  If I can manage to make these, you probably can too.

(And if you can't, or just prefer to eat in the cafeteria anyway, NO JUDGMENT!)

I hope you enjoy this new series!


What You'll Need

1 large butternut squash (approx. 3 lbs.)
1 large onion
1 large potato
3-4 full-sized carrots
3-4 celery stalks
3 cloves garlic
1 vegetable or chicken flavored bouillon cube
1 12 oz. can Great Northern ("white") beans
sour cream or scallions (optional garnish)
salt
pepper
water
bread (optional side item)

Directions

1.  Start by putting two cups of water to boil in a medium sized saucepan.

2.  While your water is heating up, wash and cut your butternut squash into small chunks.  I like to cut my squash into thirds, and then cut each of these pieces into four more pieces.  (See photo).  Use a very sharp knife for this, but be careful, because the skin of the squash will be tough and you will have resistance.  Scoop out any seeds with a spoon.

3.  Place your cubed squash into the (hopefully) boiling water and add approximately 1/2 t. salt.  Cover the pot almost completely (I put the lid on askew, so that steam can escape), and let steam for 20-30 minutes.

4.  While the squash is steaming, fill a large stockpot with 6 cups of water and start boiling.  While this boils, dice your onion, celery, potato, garlic, and carrots and place in a separate bowl.  I prefer to peel my potato before dicing, but you don't have to.  You also don't need to do anything besides a rough chop to your garlic, because you're going to blend the whole thing later.

5.  When the water is boiling, drop your bouillon cube in and wait for it to dissolve.  I stir the water with a wooden spoon to facilitate this.  Then, add your chopped vegetables, along with 1 t. of salt.  Again, cover and turn down to medium high heat.

                                       

(Umm...I forgot that we didn't have carrots this day.  The Lawyer picked some up on the way home, though, and they were added later.)

6.  By the time you have finished chopping the vegetables, the squash should be finished steaming.  It will be bright orange and tender (poke with fork to check).  Remove from the steamer, and place on a plate or platter to cool.

7.  After 20 minutes or so, the squash should be cooled.  Gently peel off the skin from the cooked pieces, roughly cube into smaller pieces, and add to the stockpot of vegetables.  (This step could also be done the night before, if you don't have enough time to do all of this on the same day.  I've definitely thrown the cooked squash in the refrigerator and peeled and diced it the following day.)

8.  At this point, you may need to add about a cup or so of additional water to the stockpot.  You really can't mess up with how much water you add, because it's going to cook down anyway. Just add enough to  barely cover the squash and vegetables as they cook.  Cover and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.

9.  When all vegetables are cooked and the squash is beginning to break apart, remove the pot from the heat and use an immersion blender to puree the mixture.

If you don't like beans or want to use your pureed mixture for organic baby food, you can stop here.

10.  For the medical students who need heartier meals, though, wash your canned beans and add to the mixture.  The beans will add protein and make the soup creamier.

This is clearly The Lawyer's hand.  By the time this photo was taken, he was home from work and helping, so that I could take pictures.

11.  Use your immersion blender to incorporate the beans.

12.  When the soup is smooth and lump free, add any additional salt or pepper for flavor.  Serve in a bowl with a dollop or sour cream and/or scallions.  

13.  For a complete meal, serve with bread.  (For those of you who know us in real life, you know that The Lawyer has a thing for his bread machine and would have made bread.  But on a regular weeknight, just grab a loaf of bread from your favorite bakery!)

The Lawyer is ashamed that you will see that we bought this bread on clearance.  HOWEVER, Firehook sells their bread for half off at the end of the day, so The Lawyer often picks up a loaf on his way home from work.  Now you know.  We are cheap and not above eating day old bread.

From start to finish, the preparation and execution of this took just over an hour.  But...it provided three solid meals for both The Lawyer and I, so if you are a single person, that's six meals for one hour of work!  If this is STILL too much time to carve out, you can listen to audio recordings of your lectures while you're in the kitchen, as I often do.  If you're an audio learner and can pull this off, it's a good way to have something going in the background, so that you don't feel like you're "wasting time."  

Enjoy!

The Truth About Men and Grocery Shopping

Context:

When The Lawyer and I do grocery shopping, one person does it for both people--even if items need to go to our two separate apartments.  It's just easier to make one trip.  Since one of us (*ahem*) is bound by ball and chain to her books, the other one of us (The Lawyer) is usually the one to do the grocery shopping.

Tomorrow, we are attending a cookout for my friend's daughters, who are being baptized at church. The Lawyer's job is to man the grill, so he was picking up lamb for kabobs, as well as flowers, which I asked him to get for the girls.  These are the texts that I received:

Let this be your evidence that men want to help with domestication.  He said it, not me.

Boards Studying Ruins Everything

Here I am just driving down the road, enjoying a nice spring day, when I see this:

Then, before I can help myself, I'm all:  Hearing Loss!  Blueberry Muffin Syndrome!  CD8 deficiency!

In my defense, that license plate does say "rubella," right?

Third Year Rotation Schedule

Our rotation schedules came out today and unless you’re a fellow MSII, you probably don’t care.  In fact, you may be thinking, “Listen Red, it won’t matter in the end.  I am a doctor and I am telling you that it does not matter.”  If this is what you’re thinking, it’s fine, because 1. I don’t believe you and 2.  This has been one of the only opportunities in medical school to have a say in what happens with my education, so STOP TRYING TO STEAL MY JOY!

Anyway…

Here is my 3^rd year rotation schedule:

Primary Care

Internal Medicine

Psychiatry

Pediatrics

Surgery

Ob/Gyn

With the exception of Psychiatry and Ob/Gyn (which I wish were switched), that is the exact order that I requested.  Woo!

I know that I have a very light fall semester, but you guys, I have been so tired.  Like, scary tired.  And yes, I know that this is typical for MSII and everyone is stressed, blah blah blah.  Does everyone else also have to spend six hour stretches in bed because they cannot walk from the fatigue?

I did not think so.  (And yes, my Epstein Barr titer was negative.  Other suggestions?)

Anyway, I put Primary Care first because I am unsure of how I’ll be feeling after the Boards.  If I’m totally fine, then woo!  Summer vacation LIVES!  If I’m not, that will hopefully give me a little bit of a break/wiggle room.  See how I like to plan ahead like that?  (Also see how I am obviously insecure about this and feeling a need to defend my decisions on the internet… *sigh*)

I finally feel like medical school is moving forward!

I Think That I Love The Lawyer's Family

Case in Point:

On the left is an Easter card that The Lawyer's sister sent to him, reading, "Remember, it's only one day a year, but the scars from a bad Easter outfit can last a lifetime."  On the right is a picture of The Lawyer circa 1985.

It's like a whole other level of hilarious with these people.

My Medical School Homework

In the interest of avoiding liability for the medical school, I am supposed to tell you that we're not supposed to be playing with using the following items without supervision.

Why yes, those are the supplies necessary to place an IV.

We are, however, supposed to be able to place an IV by the time we have our clinical exam in a couple of weeks.  And yes, I did set this up on The Lawyer's dining room table for him to see when he got home.

I find The Lawyer's dining room table to be ugly and reminiscent of a school cafeteria.  However, that is NO EXCUSE to not use said table to learn how to place an IV properly!

If you must know, I'm really going to practice on the fake arms at the clinical skills center at the hospital, as instructed by the medical school.  That didn't stop me from sending these pictures to The Lawyer's and my siblings, so that we could collectively goad and challenge The Lawyer, though.*  I mean, what a waste of good veins!


*The Lawyer's brother is a doctor, which made this easier than expected.  There's nothing like having your baby brother smack talk you about not being able to take the pain.  And yes, this is how I show my love.

And Then, I Had Dinner with The Lawyer's Ex-Wife

I was already feeling under the weather and was debating whether or not I should even try to make it to dinner with The Lawyer’s friends.  In the five or so months that we’ve been dating, though, they’ve only seen me once.

So, after a concerted effort to look decent and make a good show, I walked to the nearest Metro station and headed to Chinatown.  The Lawyer was waiting for me outside of the station with a large Macy’s bag, containing the gift for the birthday girl.

We were one of the first couples to arrive, and since the restaurant doesn’t seat the party until everyone is present, we stood near the entrance scanning the faces of those that were entering. 

The Lawyer is the one who saw her first, but I recognized her immediately.

“You have got to be kidding me!,” he whispered loudly.  I could see his face turning red with anger.

For me, I was mentally building the wrath against the couple who had invited us.  I was sure that they had invited her too, except…who does that?  Here I was wasting two hours of study time, pulling myself together when I was sicky faced, and trying to be nice to them.  And, here we all were…being ambushed.

Obviously, it has occurred to me that DC is a small city and that this type of encounter was likely to happen eventually.   But, I'd kind of hoped that it wouldn't occur at a planned party for mutual friends.

I frequently joke about the exaggerated and inappropriate things I would say to The Lawyer’s ex-wife, but just this afternoon, I thought about what I would really say.  Oh, universe.  Your timing is impeccable.

She didn’t look as shocked as we did, but the greetings were superficial and the handshakes forced.  I knew her name before she said it, and immediately, I started to look her over.  I know that it is horrible, but I wanted to ascertain exactly who this woman was---the woman who cheated on The Lawyer, my Lawyer, because he “wasn’t cool enough” for her, and threw a party the night that he finally gave up and moved out.

I think that everyone who lives in the same town with their ex kind of hopes that they’ll never run into them at any time when they don’t look amazing.  I myself have prayed that Rich will not be in the grocery story when I walk in after the gym, with a sweat-soaked tank top and shrunken capri pants.

So, imagine her regret upon realizing that tonight was just not her night.  She had come straight from work and in addition to looking disheveled in an oversized sweater dress, she was wearing thick glasses and had messy hair pulled back in a frizzy bun. 

I had not come from work, and as mentioned earlier, was intentionally trying to look nice.  I still had manicured nails from my conference last week, was wearing a lowish cut red dress, and had done my makeup. 

For a woman who had a chip on her shoulder because she thought that she was a pretty young thing that all the little 23 year old paralegals wanted to get at, she both furtively applied lipstick and fixed her messy bun at the table.  I know that it is superficial and I don’t take delight in making someone else feel insecure, but the fact is, I don’t really have to be impartial about this.  I don’t think that what she did was right, and I don’t respect her character.  It doesn’t matter what her motivation was or what her side of the story is, because my loyalty will always be to The Lawyer—no matter what.

So, while our hosts made multiple trips to the bar to dull their mortification, I played the role of trophy girlfriend and relished in the fact that she got a bit of a reality check by realizing that The Lawyer has moved on.  There were moments, right out the Shahs of Sunset, where she was very clearly whispering about me from five feet away.  But, there was also the general consensus of the group that she was so, so wrong for showing up and that they didn't want anything to do with her.

After my own discomfort about the situation, I finally decided to just act exactly how I would if she wasn't there.  I made jokes about medical school, ate bites off of The Lawyer's plate when I wanted to try something, and generally tried to be social and civil.

And, she left early.  

The hosts say that she also offered to pick up the tab for the party, since she "ruined the night."  But, not surprisingly, she didn't apologize for crashing or for taking the spotlight off of the birthday girl with her presence.

When we got home, The Lawyer sent his friends an email telling them that it wasn’t their fault that she sneakily texted around to find out the plan and then crashed the party, but that they better never do something intentional like that ever.  Then, he looked at me and asked a question that had entered my mind too,

“So, what am I going to say when we run into Rich?”

Let’s just hope it’s not after the gym, internet.

I Was Ready to Drop Out of Medical School Before This Weekend

When The Lawyer walked into his condo on Thursday night, I was sitting quietly in his office. 

I had canceled earlier evening plans with him, and all that he really knew was that I had had a discussion with a professor that left me feeling depressed.  Obviously, I can't talk about it here, but what I've found most frustrating about medical school this year is not the actual medicine.  What I can't stand are the politics, administrative aspects, and the general lack of professionalism.  It may be because I'm older and have worked outside of medicine, but my expectations for how professional education should be are higher.  And, this has been breaking me down.

It didn't help that my professor ended our conversation by saying, "Well, this [bullsh*t] is what medicine is.  My advice is to start getting used to it."

If ever there was time that I felt hopeless and defeated, it was after this.  It's hard to excavate yourself from a pit of hopelessness when the mentors and professors that you are looking up to are basically telling you that it doesn't get better.  Now would be a good time for the seasoned healthcare professionals to chime in and tell me that it is going to get better. 

Anyway, The Lawyer bore the brunt of my despair on Thursday night, and I left his condo that night with tear-stained cheeks and a pout.  The following day, he texted to ask if I thought that an escape from DC was in order.

My usual tendency would be to say no, so that I could sleep and catch up on work.  But, I think The Lawyer sensed that I didn't care about schoolwork at that point.  I told him to go ahead with whatever he was planning, and I showed up with an overnight bag on Saturday.

He prudently bought me a cupcake for the road, and I took a nap while he drove us out west somewhere.  When I opened my eyes, we were here: 

The Lawyer whisked me away to Glen Gordon Manor, a B&B in Huntly, VA.  I had been to a similar B&B in the area when I was dating Rich, but let me tell you, Glen Gordon put the other local B&Bs to shame.

Unlike our last getaway, in which we were denied our waterfront view room, Glen Gordon upgraded us to the Wakefield Suite in the private cottage, which meant that we stayed here:

Downstairs bedroom, where we slept.

 Part of downstairs bathroom; Not pictured:  Huge, glass shower with double shower heads.

 Stairs to second floor.

Upstairs bathroom.  And yes, I did take a bath in that tub.  Obviously.

The suite was impeccably clean and well-designed, and the staff sets up an iPad in each room to play music and give you the option to research activities to do for the weekend.

We had originally planned to go to Luray Caverns on Saturday afternoon, but the grounds were so beautiful that we ended up just walking around--playing with the ponies, watching the chickens run around, and hiking around the hills on the 46 acre property.  They also have horses that you can ride, and ATVs that can be rented.

For dinner, we had the option to eat at a few local restaurants, but The Lawyer wanted to stay and eat at the main dining hall.  Trent Smith, the owner's nephew, was the chef for the night.  In addition to working at the Mandarin Oriental in New York for 13 years, he had also trained in Puerto Rico. 

Trent was the one who greeted us when we checked in, and to say that he was personable and interested is an understatement.  He gave us a detailed tour of the main house, including explanations of the artwork.  He also showed us the kitchen, with cookbooks and fresh eggs, and reworked the evening's menu when a certain Seventh-day Adventist (*ahem*) couldn't eat what was originally on the menu.

Then, we had an intimate, five-course dinner, with another young DC couple, in the main dining room.

 The dining room in the main house.

The following morning, we were also served an amazing three-course meal:

Main entree:  Potato pancakes with poached eggs, smoked salmon, chive sour cream, and caviar.

It's amazing how much better a mere 24 hours away can make you feel, but I'm really blessed to have The Lawyer not only not judge me for being weepy about how frustrated I am with medical school, but actually try to make things better by getting me out of DC. 

I never get time to talk about the dynamics of our relationship here, but it's been a challenge for me to not act crazy and expect mean reactions from The Lawyer, after dating someone like Rich.  I almost always expect him to react negatively or to put me down when I'm struggling.  As this weekend demonstrated, though, this never happens.

Instead, we both had a fabulous time, just walking around, talking, and enjoying each other.  Now that it's Monday morning, I can't even remember why I was so worked up and depressed on Thursday night.

This post is NOT sponsored, but I can't say enough positive things about Glen Gordon.  If you are looking for a close-ish DC getaway (within 1.5-2 hours), this is definitely the place to go.  It's rare that I feel so comfortable and relaxed that I don't want to leave the premises even once, but The Lawyer and I could have spent another 24 hours here, without having an inkling to leave our cottage.  I highly, highly recommend this place for a couples' or family getaway!  (Or, you know, remedy for wanting to drop out of medical school...)