Almost there! And by almost I mean 6 more nights! Whoop. As much as I may deny it, this rotation - and the lack of sleep - is finally catching up to me. On Saturday morning, I slept in until 1030 without even blinking; Sunday it was 930. What is so odd about that you may ask? I. Don't. Sleep. In. Especially with Matt around. I am usually up and ready to go (not "cute" and ready for the night time or anything) by 9. Sigh. But man did it feel great.
Friday I joined Matt for "Drinking Fridays" (happy hour with teachers) at Cilantro's. They don't have HH specials, but the delicious salsa makes it all good. We then "got" to hang out with high schoolers to watch the talent show. Matt really wanted to go because someone was doing stand-up in which Matt got made fun of. Sigh. That was long. We left before the end. It is interesting to me that the guys were funnier than the girls - is this because it is how we are raised? What is expected? Confidence in high school? All of the above. I digress. We then, of course, hit up late night at Johnny's. I will someday review this place...when we don't just dine for HH.
Saturday involved...um...lazing around? I really can't tell you what we did. A walk. Costco. Oh yes, a high school track meet. Always.......fun? Both of us got a little burned on our faces. The weather here has been amazing! Loving every minute of it, before it turns into 95 and humid. Saturday night we met some friends in Dundee for dinner at The Dundee Dell.
Dundee Dell:
Matt and I have long been lovers of the Dundee area. If we were to have stayed in Omaha, we would have moved here. Interestingly, they really only have a couple bars and even fewer places to eat, but that is changing. The Dell remains a true and sturdy standby (or 'staple') of this area. I could quote you the history of the area and the building and the name and the owners, but I am not a true Omaha-ian ergo I am not required to actually know this stuff.
For quite a few years now, I have turned my nose up (well, more like 'away' really) from The Dell. I can't even give you a good reason why though. They have a great beer selection (not always the cheapest) and good atmosphere (though it can be a little loud at dinner time). I really don't know what it was. Maybe because everyone else raved about it? Always wanted to go there? Maybe I was mad at Dundee for not offering me more dining choices? Regardless, I was foolish. I apologize. I hope The Dell will accept.
We have been here twice in about 2 months and had a great experience both times. The menu is largely made up of sandwiches and burgers. Yes, they advertise the fish and chips heavily, especially this time of year, but I don't think this is where they shine. Almost every sandwich has a few options of what type of meat you want (ie pastrami vs chicken vs turkey) to please even the pickiest in your group. They even offer a salad or two if "The Grinder" or a patty melt isn't calling your name. I got the chicken pesto philly. Oh goodness was that great. The chicken was in big chunks to the point where you could tell it was chicken. The peppers and onions weren't too sauteed into mushiness. The hoagie was just soft enough yet plenty sturdy. I would order that every time if everything else didn't look so darn good. I will say that their appetizers leave a lot to be desired in my book. None of them have a lot of heart and all sort of seem to have fallen out of the freezer and into the microwave/deep fryer.
Service: Excellent!! This time at least. We have had some poor service here before
Cleanliness: Little under par I would say. Maybe it is the green carpet or something, but the ground always seems a little dirty
Ambiance: Great! Always lively on Friday and Saturday nights (if you want lively that is)
Menu: Appetizers are lacking in motivation. Everyone (except your super health conscious and vegans/Celiacs) could find something to enjoy - including adult beverages :D
Taste: (other than appetizers) Great! No sandwich or burger is too dry or over salted. Your first bite doesn't blow your hair back but it keeps wanting to eat...and eat...and eat
Overall: 5. Yep. I said it. 5.
And by 'joy' I mean college basketball. I have long been a college basketball fan; I wouldn't say nut or fanatic but fan will suffice. Ergo, March Madness makes me giddy. Basketball on TV all day long you say? Sign me up. I of course root for my Zags. Luckily this year both the men and women made the tourney (have for a couple years now). I mourned on Saturday when the men lost but celebrated when the ladies won. Woot!
I took a little dispensation from my Lenten 'no booze on Saturday' thing for St. Patrick's Day - still no beer though. Did I live it up you ask? Uh, no. I am boring and on night float. Matt and I headed downtown to watch a few of the games at a huge sports bar, which was a ton of fun. We then walked around and watched drunk people try to/try not to get hit by cars. The weather was AMAZING. On the way home we stopped at Lot 2 for a glass of wine - a new wine bar here in Omaha. It will get a full review after we actually eat dinner there. We did, however, get ourselves a little snack - deep fried pig ears. I had no clue what to expect. The bartender said "like bacon from a different part." I disagree. It was yummy and salty but not really like bacon. Would I recommend it? Yes. Would I get it again? Maybe...maybe not.
What else have I been up to? Night floating. Not sleeping enough. Working out. Eating. I usually get in bed in morning by 10am but cannot manage to sleep past 230 or 3. Grrrrrrrrrrr.
Excuse me for a moment as I have an actual serious post.
Reality of the matter is that people get sick. Very sick. And people die. We don't always know who or when or even why. But it happens. It is sometimes hard to remember this when a day, or a night, goes smoothly. You feel good about what you are doing and that you are helping people. All of that can change so suddenly, however, for you and your patients.
Two nights ago we finally had a crappy night. I say finally because our 2 weeks have gone pretty well thus far. As soon as we came on we had to put a little old patient on pressors (an IV medication to try to keep the blood pressure up) as well as a BiPAP machine (like the thing people with sleep apnea use) because she was having trouble breathing. Her heart was failing basically. We then had a relatively "un-sick" patient suddenly code. As we are working on him, I receive a call saying our little old sick patient was made 'comfort care' - no more intervention to keep her alive, just try to keep her comfortable. Within 30 minutes both of the patients had passed. The energy, the air, the motivation is sucked out of our team. While we go on with our night, each of us is left to pick up the mental and emotional mess left internally.
I can distinctly remember having to pronounce my first death that first week in July. He too was comfort care, so the death was expected. But I still got a cold chill when the nurse called me to say he had passed. I went and spoke to the family, who was with him when he passed and were mentally prepared. I did the final exam we are required to do, expressed to the family that I was sorry for their loss and asked whether they could use anything, then I walked out of the room with the glossy eyes and an ever enlarging lump in my throat. The sad thing - I don't remember his name. I remember everything else about the story: his room number, the color blanket he had on him, what the family said to me. I can't remember his name though. Is this self preservation? Mental and emotional protection? These questions are too big for me and my little half read blog. They remain important however.
The culture of medicine is to not discuss death. Death = failure. We are supposed to keep people alive. When we do talk about it, we stay superficial. "It is best for her." "He was very sick." Then we leave it at that. Even if that is the case, we don't delve further into our own reactions, beliefs, and feelings. Do we need touchy feely therapy sessions? No. We do need to express it however to stay mentally well. Sigh. Add another thing to my list of things to work on
This isn't some doomsday message of the world (ie...internet) ending. No. It is far more personal. I have found the end of the internet. If you look at the timestamp on this post, it will be in the early AM hours. It turns out that night float gives you a lot of time to explore...the internet. I know that if I just go and watch TV that I will fall asleep. And, as previously discussed, I don't want to do that.
I have never been "good" at internetting. Yes, that is a word. I have always been the person who checks her emails, checks her facebook, and - as of late - checks her google reader for recipes. That's about it. No newspapers to follow. No funny websites I frequent. My time could be bundled (minus my brief moments with you lovelies) into approx 15 minutes a day. Max. That makes my time here, alone, at night, difficult to spend. I am finding my way. Usually through food websites :D Sometimes through learning (getting into TED talks), and always through Hulu
Vincenzo's (West location):
Matt and I finally got to celebrate my birthday! We had been to Vincenzo's once previously and decided to give it a go again. I have a (bad) habit of looking at menus before we go to a restaraunt, but this time it was legit - Friday in Lent, I had to make sure they had good non-meat dishes. And they did. I had Matt call to make a reservation as our last trip there resulted in getting drinks at the bar and waiting with snobby West Omahaians. Sigh. My least favorite kind. Turns out that they don't take reservations for parties smaller than five. Yes, yes, I know there are both pros and cons of places doing this, but we were still slightly irked. Secondly, what a weird number...5? Really? Weird. Anyway, we said to heck and decided to beat the dinner rush.
We walk in shortly after 6pm to find enough open tables that we are sat immediately. Our waitress attended to us quickly but not in a rushing sort of way. I love having adult wait staff. They always make a place seem nicer. Matt ordered an old fashioned (I swear he is 65years old if a day); I got a diet soda (night float energy sap and all). As far as I could tell, he enjoyed it thoroughly, and my diet was filled quickly every time.
As we were going "all out" for my birthday, we got not one but TWO appetizers - the calamari and the mussels. The calamari was a little lack luster. While better with a little lemon on it, the lemon shouldn't make the calamari. It was cooked decently, but the breading just lacked pizzaz. The mussels where great. The sauce, while it looked like it might be heavy, was light and citrus-y. And had mushrooms in it. I love mushrooms.
The menu had a good range of traditional pastas, steak & chicken options, as well as baked pastas and salads. I was tempted by the spinach salad, but figured I only turn __ once. I dove into my meatless options and ordered the scallops farfalle. While usually not a gorgonzola fan, the sauce was perfect - creamy yet not too heavy, full of flavor yet paired well with the rest of the components. It was seasoned just right. My only complaint was that they didn't really mix the spinach in with everything; it sort of sat in a clump under some of the pasta. Matt got baked manicotti & cannelloni; while I chose not to taste, I believe him when he said it was great and filling.
And of course...dessert. Combining my love of chocolate with Matt's love of pecans, we ordered the chocolate tort with the pecan crust. When it came out, the crust was about 3/4" thick, the same thickness as the chocolate itself. :( But alas, they knew what they were doing. If that chocolate had been any more abundant I may have died. It was rich and smooth and worked well with the crunch of the pecan crust. Yum!!
Service: greatly above par especially as far as Omaha standards go. Our waitress was great even with some demanding tables around us
Ambiance: decor is on the verge of slightly aged but still clean and well put together; great lighting. I love good lighting when eating
Menu: basically your standard Italian choices but vast enough that everyone has an op
Taste: aside from the calamari, everything was great. While easy to overlook, seasoning was perfect
Overall: 4. I would definitely call this my favorite Italian in Omaha thus far
Well, not so much my head as my stomach. This night float thing that is. I am thoroughly convinced after a week of this that I am doing it right - staying up all night and sleeping during the day. The advantages: pages don't take you off guard, sleep isn't interrupted, you can watch a lot of hulu. The disadvantages: um...you are up all night, it seems like you are wasting your day by sleeping, you run out of internet to explore, and your eating schedule gets all sorts of messed up. Sigh. I normally eat dinner with Matt (considered my breakfast I guess), eat late night in the caff as it is open from midnight to 2 am (my lunch I guess), and then have a little bit of breakfast before leaving work (well...dinner I guess). I then go workout and hit the hay. 6 hours later, I am up and making dinner/breakfast.
With my belly not sure what is going on, we will see what happens today (Friday...right?). Am I going to be hungry at 1am? My best guess is yes, since in actuality I am hungry all the time.
Wednesday was my oh so wonderful birthday!!! Unlike my husband, I love my birthday. I have no mental complex (yet) with aging. We all do it. Awesome. I find it as a great excuse to A) Eat too much dessert and B) be so incredibly happy and no one can judge you or think you are high or what not. I have had quite a few unexciting birthdays in my 'adulthood.' On my 18th birthday, we lost my last high school basketball game. When I turned 21, my team and I were flying to Grand Forks, ND early the next morning. This year...I worked night float. Up til 8am, amazing workout, slept til 5pm, back to work. Matt made me pizza (my request) and took me to TCBY. He got me some great presents. It was low key and wonderful. We may celebrate further tonight. Who knows. I just love having my birthday.
I have rejoined the land of vampires - the land of dreaded Creighton Night Float. If all 4 of you remember correctly, I was on VA Night Float back in December. Life was grand. Baking was at full stream. I was well rested and well worked out. Or is it well workouted? Either way, patients aren't as frequent, as many, or as sick there. CUMC nights are known to be feared, dreaded, relived in PTSD treatment sessions. Okay, the last one is a bit of an exaggeration. My team, however, is great. It is made up of me, another intern, and an HO2. I start with Cardio crosscover (taking calls on cardio patients) and will switch to UniMed crosscover half way through (ugh...way busier then). Both of us interns admit patients. We are each allowed to admit 5 before we 'cap' --> can't admit anymore patients per national rules. We get here a little before 8pm and are here until 8am. 12 hours. Sunday night through Thursday night. 60 hours per week. Not too bad. Here are the choices that plague me currently however - to sleep or not to sleep.
Everyone approaches sleeping on months like this differently. You could try to get sleep here and there during the night and then take a nap during the day - this was my approach at the VA. My nights of attempted sleep sucked because I was always worried about getting paged. You could not sleep and then go home and sleep, get up in the afternoon then workout and hang with your husband. Or you could not sleep, go workout, then sleep until later afternoon and get up to eat and hang out with your husband. So, in my opinion, those are your three choices. If you couldn't tell from my dislike of option one, I am not trying that. While I could have gotten 3+ hours on all three nights I have done so far, I hated that constant feeling of worry that I could be woken at any minute. That left me with option 2 and 3. I have done one of each thus far and am heavily leaning toward option 3. Of course, this could all go to sh*! in a couple of days, but heck, might as well try staying up all night as long as I can.
Again, no new restaurants :( I have to think of some places we have eaten in the past
As we have successfully moved into the most wonderful month of March (the month lucky enough to be home to my birthday), I thought it would be appropriate to update on my new years resolutions. That, and the fact that Matt & I are trying to save some money makes for fewer reviews. On to the fun!
I will have to admit that I can't fully remember my new years resolutions. Plus I am a little too lazy to look back and see what I promised you internet peoples. Basically I will sort of kind of remake them, right...now
-Read more: whelp...I really wanted to read one non-medicine/learning book a month. It has been 2 months (obvs), and I have only gotten through 1 book sadly. Still, however, that is pretty good for me. Plus, I have the next book in my hot little hands. My first book was Stiff. Next one up is A Thousand Splendid Suns. I read Kite Runner by the same author. I hope it isn't as...um...serious. But I have a feeling it will be
-Floss more often: sorry dad, I am failing this one
-Live more in the present: sigh. Sadly, not happening too well. I have an excuse for this one though --> we are moving! You have to do a lot of future thinking when moving. I do plan things a little too much. A few too many lists for things to do 3 weeks from next Thursday. I will work on it.
On a further motivational note, I found this blog post. Some good stuff in there. I admit though that sometimes people get a little too self centered, but for the most part, these things aren't self centered in a bad way.
On the best note ever, we made these last night. By far and away the best sandwich I have ever eaten. Ever. Ever. Ever. We added a little mozzarella. Matt had turkey on his as well. Seriously. Go make these now. Now!!!!!!
