Another Week’s End

So.  This weekend we…

-celebrated our 5 years being married (over 11 years as a couple)

-saw The Dark Knight on Friday…which was awesome…according to The Doctor, Heath Ledger incorporated clinically true psychotic mannerisms into his performance as The Joker…so sad that is no longer with us.

-bought a filing cabinet, a chair, and floor mats for under the chairs

-vacuumed and arranged the office

and I…

-discovered that high school chum Ben is working at a national park in Guam.  spent some time catching up on his adventures

-ate some yumtastic dry-rub ribs (Scott says they’re better than Rendez-vous in Memphis)

-mowed the yard (front, back, and sides), edged the driveway and sidewalk

-swept the driveway and curb

-continued organizing the closet

-went to TWO farmers’ markets

-unpacked some more boxes

-ran the dishwasher 4 times

-swept/mopped kitchen, mud room, master bathroom

-cleaned the shower and master bathroom sink

-watched Young Frankenstein

That’s about it.  Being a park ranger in Guam is WAAAAAAYYY more interesting.

Into the Woods

Yesterday, Scott and I had a function to attend which forced us to leave the to-do list for the house and do something besides things for the house.  It was a welcome picnic/party at the weekend mountain home of the psychiatry department chair.  It was farther out in the boondocks than either of us had ever been before (fearfully searching for a place to turn around off the Flag Pond exit doesn’t count).  We gained about 3000 feet in elevation, and let’s just say I was glad we were being driven up the narrow, steep, and rutted gravel road.  The cell phones and GPS devices ceased to work once we turned off the main highway, fairly early on in the trip (which took us past Clarence’s).

The setting was beautiful and the food was set up on the patio and one of the three decks.  One path up through the woods took us to a pond, currently home to some fish, but formerly the cooling place for a moonshine still.  The group included the hosts (department chair and husband), program director, chief residents, several of the attendings, a couple of other spouses and three children.  Half of them hiked up beyond the pond to find a series of mounds and stones which are rumored to be “Indian burial grounds.”  In fact, the department chair’s husband knew so much about the history of this land and how in the year 1900 it was completely cleared (it’s currently all forest), so it’s all “new growth forest” which has more undergrowth due to the lack of a thick canopy.  Some of the rhododendrons (which are part of the magnolia family and do well in acidic soil) were so thick they completely blocked paths.  The Johnson City Tanning (as in leather-tanning) Company had created roads up through the land (the ones we came in on), in order to clear the Red Oaks and use the bark for tanning.  Having taken what they needed, the wood was sold and that wood is what was used in the construction of most of the houses in the historic Tree Streets (at least the older ones).

The bulk of the food was provided by Scratch Bakery (who actually delivered it all the way out there, but the grade was so steep that despite having some gas in their car, stalled on a dry fuel line).  It was a myriad of pizzas — no two alike — and a huge basket containing a sliced loaf of all the breads they make.  They also brought hummus and tabouleh and brownies they call Chocolate Syndeys.  One of the cutest moments was when the 22-month-old daughter of one of the other interns accidentally tried the habenero bread.  Her expression told it all, and she then instinctively started wiping her tongue with a napkin.  She was SOOOO CUUUTE!!!!  Scott proclaimed several times that we need to get a dog (substituting as the next best thing…).

Speaking of dogs, also joining the party was the department chair’s adorable Jack Russell Terrier.  And guess what?  She was super-energetic, but she was WELL-BEHAVED!!  What a concept.  She didn’t jump up on anyone the whole time, didn’t bark or growl at anything, and she even joined us on an hour and a half hike on steep hills through the woods.  What a trooper!  The hosts own approximately 25 acres which back up to the Cherokee National Forest.  The hiking was up some VERY steep grades which totally emphasized how out of shape I am (and we were also not dressed appropriately for hiking in 90% humidity).   It was a really fun and interesting afternoon…and an honor to be welcomed to the home of the Chair — that’s the kind of residency program this is…the joke through the whole hike was “let’s not lose any of the interns — I don’t want to have to take their call…” and “This is how we test our incoming residents…first, you have to find this place, and secondly, survive the hiking…then we know you’re a keeper.”

We’re Home.

Well…we made it.  We got our miracle and a half and closed two weeks ago, yesterday.  Although stacks of boxes remain, it’s starting to sink in that the real owners aren’t coming back, and we really get to stay here.  With owning a home comes trips to Lowe’s (or your preferred big-box, home improvement store), and it seems that with us, trips to Lowe’s always provide an extra dose of adventure.

Last night, for example…We headed over to Lowe’s (having not eaten dinner yet — mistake number 1), and proceeded to spend an hour and a half wandering around and being overwhelmed by the amount of stuff we needed (heaven forbid we ever BUILD a house…).  Our “Lowe’s list” included a lawnmower (our first), a weed-eater/edger, a hose, a sprinkler, indoor trash cans, two hand-held shower nozzles, and a tie/belt rack for the closet–we had a coupon for 10% off the total.  For those who were apartment-dwellers as recently as we, a mere trip to Lowe’s is daunting in and of itself.  On this particular outing, not only did we have an overflowing shopping cart, but we also had a flatbed hand-truck — OVERWHELMING! I suppose this all sounds rather reasonable and ordinary to this point.  We finally check out at 9pm (closing time), and head out to load our new belongings.

Scott had enough forethought to bring along a rope (in case we needed to tie the trunk down), but there was no way the lawnmower-in-a-box was ever in a million years going into the trunk.  It’s dark.  The rest of the Lowe’s customers have left.  And we’re struggling to shift the box (not a light-weight object) to every possible angle and position in order to transport it home.  Of course, the logical solution is to un-box the lawnmower and place it in the trunk, which we do.  Eventually.  We’re carefully shimmying it into the trunk, until it gets stuck.  A quick appraisal leads to me unscrewing the gas cap because it’s the highest point on the mower and what was preventing it from fitting.  But still, no matter how much we shimmied, one of the wheels is still sticking out of the trunk.  “No problem,” you might think…”they brought along rope.”  Yes….we brought brand new rope.  We also brought no rope-cutting instruments.

So there we are, standing in the vacant Lowe’s parking lot, in the dark, with a lawnmower half-hanging out of the trunk of the car and Scott violently sawing through a new, nylon rope with his keys.  We were there for a good while.  I think we finally pulled out at 9:40…still having not eaten dinner (and by now, the hunger has taken over rational thoughts and eliminated niceties).

Being ravenously hungry and a bit overwhelmed by the adult-ness of our Lowe’s trip, we balanced the scale by ordering pizza at 10pm.  We also made a point to eat the pizza on the couch in front of the tv (even though we now eat at a dining table like civilized, grown-up folks).  We proceeded to (against every sensible notion) watch The 40 Best Songs of Heavy Metal until 1am, despite every few minutes, one of us asking the other, “Why are we still up?”  or “Why are we watching this?”  or “Isn’t it bedtime?”

In spite of this indulgent, irrational spell of non-adultness,  we were both awake by 8am and could not go back to sleep.  Also, by noon: we’d been to the gas station (for lawn-mower gas), I’d mowed the front yard and weed-eated, and Scott had installed the two new shower nozzles and his new tie-rack.  I know that many of you may have accomplished this and a list of other things by 9am, but I guess what I’m trying to emphasize is that regardless of our age, we never really felt like grown-ups in the apartment.  Truly, living in a small apartment, as we were, seems to enable the college-student, sleep till noon, clutter-up-your-space lifestyle.  We’re SOOOOO tickled, excited, grateful, ecstatic, and loving our new home, and we’re embracing the “adultness” that seems to come with a mortgage and a yard.

Mass Foreclosures Aren’t My Problem

NOT! If you’re looking at purchasing a house and you need financing to do that, then please be warned:  IT’s A ROYAL PAIN IN THE ASS.   They’re trying to avoid future foreclosures through natural selection.  It’s survival of the persevering in this business, now.  They want to see how many times they can come back to you with conditions and stipulations before you decide to give up and rent forever, explode with frustration, or retreat to live in the woods (in the words of Thoreau - Simplify, simplify!). Honestly…it’s become almost as bad as health insurance!

Scott and I are rule-followers.  With embarrassingly few exceptions, we are i-dotters and t-crossers. I worked in a bank, for crying out loud.  I hated it, but I was good at it.  Scott’s completed medical school and all of its trials, tribulations, and red tape (can anyone say HIPPA?).  We’re both classically-trained in proper hoop-jumping.

We covered all of our bases, called all the necessary folks, begged for all the necessary money, and collected every conceivable necessary document (copying everything submitted) in order to close on this loan.  Or so we thought.  As it turns out, the Big Bad Lender has come back with conditions not once, but three times, now.  This game is becoming stale and rather unbecoming to us all.  If we close on Friday, it will be a miracle.  And a half.

Notations

Things needed with a house/not needed with an apartment

–ladder

–lawnmower

–long-handled tools

We’re so excited, can’t wait to move…we can barely stand it! But there’s still so much to do. As soon as I can access the photos, I’ll post about my tie-dye program.

Edit:  also a

-weed-eater

-wheelbarrow

Things we have that are not needed in this house:

-microwave

-washer and dryer

June 2008: The longest month ever!

Work’s been long and tiring.  While waiting for the end of the month (meaning our tentative closing), Scott and I have decided that June has become the longest month ever.  Each week feels like two.  Last week,  I made the arrangements for insuring the property, but at this point, all we can do is wait.  And pack.

We’re so looking forward to moving and enjoying the many great features of our new home.  I did make the reservation this morning for a 16-foot truck.  Something sort of real.  At this point, it’s all in the form of papers, rates, contracts, etc., so it doesn’t seem at all real…like something that we dreamed.

I don’t have to work this weekend, so I’m enjoying having the luxury of time to pack and to cook up stuff we have in the cabinets/freezer.

This morning at the farmer’s market, I bought some flatbread, goat cheese in olive oil with herbs, cheese straws, really good tomatoes, and pickled beets.  Not sure what to do with the pickled beets.

I already had some fresh arugula, some home-grown rosemary and cilantro.  In cleaning out the cabinets, my plan is to make…

a black and white bean soup

pizzas using flatbreads, tomatoes, arugula, rosemary, goat cheese, bacon, and provalone

chameleon dip (salsa mixed with cream cheese)

baked pineapple

Along with packing, this should keep me busy for a while.  Thunderstorm-y Saturday  = good for packing and cooking.

The Berenstain Bears and TOO MUCH STUFF!

So…this will be the first time we’ve moved. Nevermind the nomadic tendencies of our college days (moving back and forth into different rooms/buildings every nine or three months or even between semesters), to actually move an entire household at once–we’re virgins. We’ve not really done that yet. In moving to the apartment for medical school, we made short trips interspersed among wedding preparations…and I wasn’t working at the time (as part of said wedding preparations). Also (thanks to our wonderful landlord), we were able to move and set-up the home ahead of time for the most part. Due to the generosity of family, we started with complete but minimal home furnishings and have built what seems like an empire since then (not even counting the shelves upon shelves full of untouched gifts taking space in my parents’ home).

When we first moved here, we had two computer desks (one of which is an antique table borrowed from parents), two chests of drawers (one a borrowed antique, one Scott’s college graduation gift), an antique bed frame (family heirloom) and new mattress set (wedding gift from grandparents), a kitchen table w/chairs (generously given by parents), a washer and dryer (generously given by grandparents), a hand-me-down couch (from parents), a tiny, pressed-wood “entertainment center” (thanks to Grandpa’s yard-sale-ing), a filing cabinet (of unknown origin), some hand-me-down white pressed-wood bookshelves (much-needed), end-tables (thanks to Aunt Julia), a coffee table, a cafe-sized patio table, and two nightstands (all, thanks to parents).

Since then, we’ve acquired a new, much bigger couch and a futon (thanks to generosity of parents), a master’s degree- and a medical doctorate’s-worth of books, papers, and supplies, an antique rocking chair and a small upholstered chair (both given by parents), various framed pictures and diplomas, an extra computer, an extra JUMBO monitor, four units of wire shelving (full of stuffs), numerous books, cookbooks, a free-standing towel-rack, giant Rubbermaid tubs loaded with clothes we’ve not been able to wear for some time now, more books, a stationary bike, an oscillating fan, a massive DVD & CD collection with flimsy storage, two additional gaming consoles, a shredder, a floor lamp, a LARGE gas grill, many pots for plants, patio chairs, an electric guitar, more books, a larger (replacement-for-borrowed) TV with tv-stand (thanks to Tyler’s days at Best Buy), and more random stuffs than I ever would have imagined.

That I’m a general pack-rat does not help matters. I know that clearing clutter helps to clear the mind, and that hanging on to useless stuff sucks up positive energy. Understanding of these principles is not what I’m lacking here…it’s…well…acting on them. So many times I hang on to things because I think we might need those things “sometime in the future”…and I have to say there have been times that I’ve tossed something (in a spell of de-cluttering fervor) only to go needing it after the fact.

SO! I guess I’m asking for tips on de-cluttering and packing. I’ve Googled and read and what the intarrwebb has to say on the subject — most of what I found assumes that you’re A) moving out of state and/or B) are putting things in storage/having professional movers do it…so I figured I’d pose the question here.

What advice do you have for packing and moving a household (without the help of professionals)?

FYI - I’ve obtained boxes (thanks, acquisitions dept. at work), purchased masking tape, packing tape, and even bubble wrap…but where to begin?

Memorial Day 2008

Today, I gave Scott a haircut and we went to the American Red Cross for Scott to donate blood (they don’t want me to because I pass out every time…it seems the staff gets in trouble when people lose consciousness).  Unfortunately, he was turned down by a hardcore, rule-abiding, older nurse.  He’s tachycardic…as a side-effect of medication (which has been modified to alleviate that). Unfortunately that can be an early sign of dehydration in young folks (he, of course, had been hydrating big-time in preparation).  We left thoroughly frustrated because both of us are willing to give blood…there’s a great need, and due to circumstances beyond our control, we cannot at this point in time.

Also, I watched part of The Best Years of Our Lives, one of my all-time favorite movies…and one that inevitably makes me cry buckets.  Last night, I watched part of The Americanization of Emily which is a great movie…entertaining and makes some very good, non-gory points about war.

Tonight, we grilled bratwursts and had angel hair (homemade sauce) with sliced brats…one of our specialties.  Also, we have some delicious strawberries from a local farmer named Mr. Scott.  So they’re called Scott’s strawberries.  They are so flavorful and sweet — you don’t need any sugar at all.

Conga-ratz to Dr. Hudd!

It’s finally here! After 5 long and grueling years, Scott dons the green hood, the fancy, padded Henry VIII hat, and the super-nice robe with green Doctor stripes. I am proud, happy, and excited beyond words. The hooding ceremony was very nice and meaningful, as a follow-up to the initial White Coat Ceremony upon entering medical school. Scott looked so handsome, as usual, and very doctory.

[warning: a few words from atop the visiting Medical Martyr, a triple-crown-winning High Horse]

I became a little vaklempt when I reflected on what it has taken to get to this point. I laugh–LAUGH when others speak of 12 or 14-hour work days. There were times when Scott crossed his fingers for ONLY a 12-hour work day when he was paying to do it–no glory, no compensation, no health insurance, even! In medical school, they own you, but you take out hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans with interest to pay them to own you. (Then you get no respect from ignorants and hippies who are down on the medical establishment…but whatever, right). I reflected on times when he’d come home from being on call–being awake and working for 30+ hours at a time, take a nap and get up to work on studying and paperwork to prepare for the next day. Now we’re finished with that stage, you can call him Doc, and (after 8 weeks) he’s moving on to residency in a specialty which he really enjoys and in which he is considered to be very good. YAY!

Another cool aspect of the ceremony was that our dude, Phil, was honored with an award for service to the College of Medicine. After the ceremony, a reception is held in Stanton-Gerber (med school HQ). There were lots of people there…including Tyler, who flew in from Chicago just for this eventful weekend!

After the reception, we parted ways for a few hours while I continued working on the apartment. Meanwhile, Scott’s dad went to the local Toyota dealership to pick up Scott’s big surprise gift — a new Corolla. We met up at their hotel to go to dinner (Clarence’s Drive-In), and they surprised him with the car (because the weather on Saturday was supposed to be rainy. I found a nice decorative license plate for him at the QCOM bookstore.

Graduation was the early time–10am, and over 1000 folks graduated in the first ceremony (mine was the 2 pm time). They made remarkable time and even though the speaker went over the allotted 10 minutes, they still finished conferring degrees in 2 hours. Time for more pictures! Scott is leading the line in the long shot.

Afterwards, we came over to the apartment where the family (my folks, his folks, bro and grandparents) patiently waited while I (with the help of the other women-folk) pulled together a little batch of reception-type food for lunch. We had Scott’s requests — sushi (picked up from Cafe 111), chicken salad croissants, other deli meat/cheese with rolls, mixed fruit, fruit dip, and cap-cakes (cupcakes with tiny, plastic, graduation mortarboards on them). We had freshly-made iced tea with limes and lemons sliced, Dr. Pepper (Scott’s fave soda), and Barq’s root beer. We also had champagne and sparkling grape juice (with raspberries) but we never opened that. Scott opened additional gifts, Tyler played the Wii, Mike waited for the Derby to come on ESPN, and later Dan and Juanita came by to visit and offer congratulations. They had coffee and cupcakes while they were here. It was the first time they’d been to our apartment (I think). It’s nice to know there here if we need them for anything (though we often forget that).

For dinner, we went to Sahib one of two local Indian restaurants. Scott and I really enjoy the food here, but it was a new experience for most of our group. Part of us had curries and part had tandoori dishes (which are served here with a table-side flambe — entertaining, right). I also ordered a mango lassi. Yum!

All told, it was a wonderful, memorable weekend.  The celebration was well-deserved and we’re thankful to family for making arrangements to help us celebrate!  Way to go, Scott!  Now the best husband ev-arr can also be the best psychiatry doc ev-arr!

Where Have I Been?

Working mainly. Attending lectures with Scott during Keystone [3 weeks of reverse orientation for med school...professionals and practicing physicians give lectures on medical jurisprudence, practice management, rent vs. buy, tips for a good medical marriage, residency is a b****, physician depression and suicide (2x higher rates than the standard population) and so forth].

This past Saturday we (meaning our library) hosted our first annual book festival and it was a huge success. Friday night before was the “books and bluegrass” wine and cheese reception which was a fund raising event to coincide with their book sale preview. Also, we had two authors that night.

For next year’s wine and cheese, we’re hoping to have David Baldacci (he’s library-friendly!) and Barbara Kingsolver (who now lives in Virginia — read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle). I say if we’re going to get that big, then they need to let me do the cheese trays. Colby, cheddar, and pepper-jack are fine, but for this type of event, they need more variety than one red and one white wine, and they certainly need to mix it up with the cheese–some domestic blue at least…a nice brie would have been appropriate. Brie en croute even! These are the times when I realize that I should probably be an event coordinator or at least caterer.

My event (if you dared look at the link to the pdf file listing the day’s events) was the Altered Book Craft held in the board room. I had 2 participants at the first session (10am) and 6 at the second one (which was a full table. It was well-received with folks asking if I would do this again or if we could have a monthly altered art meeting. At the second one, an artist came and her work — really everyone’s work — was amazing!! I was really inspired by what these people were able to put together–I stress in this activity that it’s only limited by your creativity and really requires no technical skills or training. I must admit I was pleased with myself for how smoothly the whole thing went.

I woke up at 6 am on Saturday in a bundle of nerves over this (it was adults, likely adults who are avid “scrapbookers” and who would have a certain level of expectations…”could I deliver?” “will they be glad they came?”) but it was fun, relaxing, exciting, productive, and exhausting all at the same time. YAY! One more check on the list.

Next weekend I’m hosting my VolunTeen Appreciation Day which will involve little filled gift boxes for each of my 42 teen volunteers that I coordinate/manage as well as a sub tray/chips/fruit lunch with sodas in a cooler. Very casual and relaxed…and I’m working that day so I can’t leave my co-worker alone at the desk all day. I’ll be excited once that’s over.

Of course, the next weekend is MEDICAL SCHOOL GRADUATION. WOW! I can hardly believe it’s here. Really…this must be how…Columbus or whichever explorer may have felt (without the scurvy or killing any natives and stealing land)…you gather much loaned funding, set off in your ship, weather many a storm and challenge, then you hope and pray that you’ll finally be able to see the land you’ve dreamed of for so long. You’ve heard from others that this land exists, but you’ve never seen it for yourself…all you have is self-reliance, faith, and determination. So…um…we’re almost touching the land! Only two short months till residency starts!

Oh! Also, we’ve been catching up on our favorite tv shows that we’ve not had time to watch. Check out this gem from the sixth season of Scrubs.