My Thoughtful Spot

happy halloween!

I usually try to avoid the annoying morning show radio blather, but this morning I overhead a conversation that piqued my interest.

On of the guys was lamenting the fact that his parents live in a "wealthy" neighborhood and that in recent years, kids from well outside his city limits have been coming to his neighborhood to do trick or treating. He even said one year there were gang bangers and other such scary teenagers. It was so busy, in fact, that his parents have to spend over $350 on Halloween candy to avoid the "tricks" that come when you run out.

Immediately, the other three people with microphones began harrassing him that he's lucky to be in such a neighborhood and why can't other kids come from different areas to trick or treat? But that's not the point. The point is that his parents worked hard for what they have and where they live. They shouldn't be subtly threatened to give candy to hoodlums from other cities when they all have their own neighborhoods. They kept saying, His parents can afford the candy, so why not give it away?

This simple conversation about candy on a holiday sums up what is wrong with government. The rich have a lot. They probably didn't work very hard for it. They probably oppressed some other person to get it, so let's take it away and give it to someone who has been lazy and/or causing trouble for most of their lives. I was enraged.

Until they played some audio clips of the guy being the Halloween bouncer for his neighborhood by asking various kids where they lived:

"Trick or treat, Grim Reaper. Where do you live?"

"Like 7 houses down."

"Good. Here's some candy. Trick or treat little princess. Where do you live?"

"Alhambra."

"Sorry, no candy for you. Try the next house."

His argument was that if enough people did that, people would stop driving their kids to the "white neighborhoods" and kicking them out of the vans.

clawing my way back

And today, after a full day of work, I am proud to say that I was able, for the first time in a month, to run for SIX MILES!!!!!

Yay! Even though I'm exhausted, I feel pretty good. And I believe I can do this.

Please remind me I feel this way today, when I inevitably become discouraged about the scale not moving or something equally rediculous a few days from now. Thanks. :-)

ok. i'll start *today*

Right. So I didn't do so great in the eating department yesterday when I was on call. I was up for 30 hours (minus a 2 hour nap) and got hungry. Did not reach my goal of 1200 calories. That's one of the things I haven't figured out yet... How to stay within a "normal" calorie allowance when you're up for an abnormal amount of time.

I'm done with my nap and going to the gym now. My plan is to run for 4 miles and do a total body weights routine. I'm definitely on track for today.

some things just can't be moved

During residency, we've gotten fairly good at moving holidays. Birthdays, anniversaries, even Thanksgiving or Christmas. I haven't had to move Easter or New Year's and I suppose I should count myself lucky. Because those are probably the only two things you can't move and pretend it didn't happen so you can celebrate it later.

At least I thought those were the only two until tonight.

Tonight the Red Sox swept the Rockies in Colorado to win the World Series. But I was working and running traumas while it happened. I was really hoping the Rox wouldn't get swept for several reasons: 1) I really don't like when anyone gets swept. I feel bad for them. Whoever they are, even if they aren't the Sox. 2) It would have really been convenient for me if they would have lost tonight. I didn't want the last game of the season and the game that won them the World Series to occur when I'm on call where at best, I would watch alone without alcohol, and at worst, not be able to watch or celebrate at all and be relegated to watching the recorded version when I get home.

I got the worst. I'm happy for the Red Sox and for Red Sox Nation everywhere. It just sucks that because of my job, on the most important night of the baseball year, I'm not part of that celebration.

five days

Well, it's really only four days left of this rotation because I have today off, but I am still technically on call at home anyway. So I'm counting five.

Now that I'm nearing the end, I am forced with the harsh realities of what this rotation has done... no... what I have allowed this rotation to do to my exercise and eating habits. While I may not have had many more chances to exercise than I was able to squeeze out, I was certainly able to eat better. But, I'm an emotional eater. And this kind of rotation with it's stresses and abuses, isn't good for someone like me. And I gave in. Add that to not exercising, and I've got my work cut out for me.

I basically need to net 1200 calories a day to get to my goal weight by the middle of December. Which is imperative, because I always gain weight over the holidays and I can't go any higher. I have to loose some of this before then. So. There it is. Hopefully now that I've put it out there, it'll keep me more honest.

Like I tell so many of my patients: one day at a time. One foot in front of the other. I can do this.

sticky notes

As we approach the first game of (maybe) three in Coors Field, I have few random thoughts I wanna place on the lockers of some Red Sox players:

Youk -- I'm sure your disappointed about being sat for this game. But you can curse just as much, if not more, from the dugout. I'm counting on ya, buddy.

Papi -- I know you don't play first base a lot, so here's a friendly reminder: STRETCH

Tito -- Are you insane? Why the hell would you sit Youk over Papi? They have essentially the same batting averages at this point and Youk is not hurt and is the far superior first baseman.

Manny -- No monstah here. You gotta run out there, amigo. Here's some Red Bull and there is some Rockstar in the fridge with your name on it. Don't let Tek drink it. Oh, and wear tighter pants so you don't trip when you run.

Lowell -- Home stretch, man. Just a few more games where you're responsible for your position and trying to cover the hole over at SS. I hope you don't have to do it next season; not because you're not here, but because we have a new SS.

Papelbon -- Can you do the robot dance to warm up today?

Zaka-san -- You know the Rox are afraid of something you call the gyroball. I believe it exists. Bring it. If you smoke them, I forgive all embarrassing at-bats.

Gagne (who, to me, looks like the guy from 40-Year Old Virgin who wants to buy the glitter platform boots with the goldfish in them at the ebay store) -- Don't worry about playing. Papelbon's got it. Just go back to the hotel room so you can put the boots on your feet. Well, unless we smoke 'em. Then you can play.

Ellsbury -- Thank you for stealing a base in Game 2 and giving everyone in America a free taco from Taco Bell. Even though we don't get more free stuff if you steal another base, please try anyway if you have the chance.

fridays feast

Feast One Hundred & Sixty Six

Appetizer
Name a great website you would recommend to others.
Recently I found an awesome site for web radio. It's at www.slacker.com and they have tons of stations. It's completely free!

Soup
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest), how often do you dream at night?
2. I rarely dream. Well, I should say I rarely remember them. If I do remember them, it was probably a nightmare anyway. Or it started out good but quickly turned into a nightmare.

Salad
Did you have a pet as a child? If so, what kind and what was it's name?
We had several pets growing up. One of them was a New Zeland rabbit, which had black and white colorings and short ears that stick up. His name was Bun. We gave him full run of the house and he rewarded us with little bunny poops everywhere and chewed electrical cords. In the summer he would lay on the tile in front of the fireplace with his legs sprawled out behind him to get all of his stomach touching the cool ceramic.

Main Course
If you had a chance to star in a commmercial, what would you choose to advertise?
I haven't seen on-air commercials for Yankee Candles. Yeah, that sounds good. ;-)

Dessert
What is your favorite kind of hard candy?
See's Candy makes non-lollipop versions of their gourmet lollipops that are just yummy.

game 1

I amazingly was able to see most of the game last night! Hooray! Ok, well, I missed the beginning and then watched it at the end. Here are a few observations I had, although I am far from the sports commentator Dawn is.

1. Did I say I was worried about the Rox? Wow. They were way out of practice for the kind of heat ol' Beckkkkkkkkket was bringing to the mound. Nope. Their bat speeds got seriously cooled off after sweeping twice. Consistently late on swings. The best part was that he first threw fastball after fastball. Then suddenly? Curveball! He was just on fire and brought his nastiest stuff. But he looked cool as a cucumber, almost as if he were playing a game in April. If he doesn't win the Cy Young award, I'm gonna hurt someone.
2. I kinda felt bad for the Rox's starter. I always end up feeling bad in a really big blowout for the loosers, even if the looser isn't my team. I guess this was Josh's payback to the guy that made the number in the lose game column go from zero to one.
3. Then I really felt bad for Spier. Three runs walked in? In the World Series? I mean everyone has a bad day, but then it's the manager's job to pull him before it gets that bad.
4. Fox was supporting this stupid movie with Vince Vaughn called Fred Claus. As part of the promo, they showed "gifts of baseball." The "gift" they chose to demonstrate was the blunder by Buckner that lost the '86 World Series against the Mets. Let me just make this clear to everyone: Just because the curse is broken and the Red Sox won in '04, that doesn't mean that that footage is any less painful for Red Sox Nation. It is a horrible, powerful image, and not one that will make any decent Red Sox fan want to go see a stupid Christmas movie.
5. Then I finished watching the game and watched the beginning, thus the out-of-orderness of my thoughts. I had no idea that John Williams is back conducting the Boston Pops. That alone is almost enough to make me want to move back to Boston. He is an amazingly talented composer/conducter, and his arrangement of "The Star Spangled Banner" gave me goosebumps. Somewhere in the middle, I realized that it was being performed by high school students.
6. YAZ!!!!

paradise burns

 

There is ash flying through the 93 degree air.

Half a million people have had to leave their homes and memories without assurances that it will be there when they are allowed back. 18,000 homes are already lost.

 

The sky is obscured by smoke, casting a reddish-brown, apocalyptic hue over us.

And the nights are far from dark.

sox v rox

Rox
Sox
Rox on Fox
Sox on Fox
Rox vs. Sox on Fox
Sox vs. Rox on Fox
Sox vs. Rox in Coors Bandbox

Sox have Jocks
Rox have Jocks
Jocks in Field or Batter's Box
Jocks with Money Box of Stocks
Papi strong as Wild Ox

Fox ex-Jocks sit in Press Box
Listen to Tim McCarver's Vox!
The insanity he Talks and Squawks
Joe Buck oughtta clean his Clocks

Rox beat Sox
Sox beat Rox

No one claims the games are Locks
And on some wood a Nation Knocks
But if the Rox Outfox the Sox
Or Gagne Walks or Beckett Balks
It surely would cause Mocks and Shocks
Requiring Whiskey on the Rocks