Old Home Week!

It has been so nice to hear from all the North Carolinians this past week. It is hard to move away from people you grew to care about and start over. Dartmouth has some big shoes to fill in the coworker department that is for sure! I only have three coworkers now so it is quite the different dynamic. Please keep up the newsy tidbits!

I was able to see my friends in Maine last weekend meet their daughter Elizabeth for the first time and take her mother out to see 27 Dresses. Much to everyone's surprise the movie was not based on my life :) Mom's of 9 month olds don't get to go out to the movies very often so I was happy to take her out on the town. Elizabeth was very cute and so friendly. I got to keep her occupied while her mom made dinner. She was memorized by anything shiny ... funny how girls like pretty shiny things at any age! I also got in touch with some college friends. It is

I have decided that the Patriots do best when I am in North Carolina, as that is where I have been for all their past super bowl wins. I will have to remember that for the future games. Last year I made my super bowl cake and introduced the CAKE to the CCU crew. In fact I had to make two cakes last year...one for work and one for my friends. This year I made the cake but there was just two of us to share it. One of my neighbors came over and watched the game with me. I have lots of cake left over.... but as the players are so tasty that shouldn't be a problem.


Work is going better I believe. The attending changes each week so just when you get to know what they like they are done with their rotation. They certainly work hard for the week they are with us. They go all out for that week so it is hard to match their intensity each and every day while learning. Someday it will be nice to know what I am doing without having to double check each and every moment. It would be nice to zip through this learning period but it is not to be for a while yet. Ugh.

I had dinner with Lindsay tonight. She did her taxes and I left work at 6pm which is the typical time for leaving no matter that I am done with my work at 5pm. There is always one more thing for me to double check so that I will be able to sleep at night without too much anxiety. It is so nice to know someone from my life before who understands the hospital culture shock and now that she works with me on the floor I get to relive our UNC days where we worked together.

There is another big game in my life this week. UNC vs Duke is Wednesday and I am going to have to search out the game on television. Of course Wednesday is the day that my coworkers and I are going out for Mexican. (Or the NH version of Mexican food...I should say). I will have to remember to wear my Carolina Blue so that the Duke NP knows the score. My tarheel pin is on my white coat so the entire world knows who I am cheering for!! Go Heels!

I learned something today that may prompt me to write a letter to the lawmakers in VT. I was told that the truck drivers with CDL (commercial driver's license) are UNABLE to take insulin. So my poor diabetic patients who have HgbA1C levels of 8.6 and are maxed on oral meds are sacrificing their health to keep their livelihood. I am going to have to investigate this information that was passed on to me and write a letter to someone. At least VT has a good prescription plan for those who don't have coverage so no one is completely uninsured. I am learning the nitty gritty about NH and VT. It all depends on which side of the river you are standing on....

I am going to Connecticut this weekend to celebrate my brother's birthday with the rest of my family. It will be nice to get together for this life celebration....now I just have to find a birthday gift tomorrow. Perhaps I will zip up to Burlington VT or visit the Vermont Country Store. and see what there is to find.