Time marches on...

I'm now two weeks in to my last year of residency. Some of you may have noticed that a few weeks back a countdown labeled "The End of Residency" appeared in the sidebar with a terrible font and clunky free interface. It is ugly, but it is the truth; there are now fewer than 365 days left in residency! 

This transition marked the departure of another dear group of colleagues and friends, all headed to jobs and fellowships that sound amazing. I'm sad to see them heading out, but happy for their much-anticipated transitions and inspired by their soft landings into the careers they've been planning for years now. 

I don't really have anything eloquent to say about this, other than what I've been saying about everything in residency to date - it will be, and then it will be over. Hard to imagine, but here we go. Hold on to your hats for one last year of this wild ride.

Claudia and I prepare to emcee the banquet for the graduating residents

#200in2016

It's done. I've officially registered for two century rides, two weeks apart, for two great causes. I first mentioned them here, and as of today am registered for both. There are two things I'm absolutely depending on for these rides:

1. Patience: I am slow. There are not a lot of things in my life where I am content to admit that I'm slower than almost everyone else and am satisfied there, but cycling is one of them. I'll train as much as I can train, but there are certain immutable facts (namely residency) that slow me down. Luckily, I'm pretty happy riding all day all alone, so even if the friends, family, and colleagues who will be joining me on these rides are much faster, I don't mind bringing up the back.

2. Your money: You read correctly. I've made some rather lofty fundraising goals in order to feel good riding in both of these rides. Compared to my ride last year (40 miles), I'm increasing my mileage this year by 500%. Can you do the same with your donations? If that percent increase seems a bit steep to you, perhaps consider a 100% increase since I'm doubling my number of rides. Here are the links to my fundraising pages:

BikeMS: Waves to Wine

Best Buddies Challenge: Hearst Castle

Last weekend I rode 54 miles (all at one time!) on what was the longest bike ride my new bike has ever experienced. Apart from grossly underestimating the amount of water I needed, and forgetting to sunscreen my legs, both of which only became apparent after 95% of the ride, it was lovely.

 In which I demonstrate that even in the daylight I favor cycling safety

China Camp State Park, or, the very lovely surroundings of the public restrooms around which I planned much of my ride

Some thoughts about regional cycling culture

In Michigan, looking cool on a bicycle meant several things. First and foremost, it meant sporting a variety of cycling clothes (jerseys, shorts, socks, etc) from the various events you had previously completed. Started riding DALMAC (the Dick Allen Lansing to MACkinaw) in 1971 when it originated? Then wear that vintage jersey from the first year they made them to show just how awesome and dedicated you are. Secondly, although there were probably small subgroups of cyclists that favored the matching kit, where the jersey and the shorts are made to match, the vast majority favored mixing it up, perhaps to demonstrate the wide range of interesting pieces of cycling gear available to the enthusiastic rider. My rides would leave me asking questions along the line of, "Huh, I wonder where I can get those bright crazy shorts that guy had, so that I can wear them with my florescent pink jersey with the little devil on it from the ride through Hell, MI?"

In San Francisco, and I suspect in most of California, the approach is completely different. Fitting in and looking like you mean it on a bicycle requires a matching kit. You may select a pattern or color, and if you are part of a professional or amateur cycling team, it is acceptable to wear that jersey, but otherwise black is the preferred color. All of the fancy cycling clubs seem to produce all-black cycling gear, perhaps with accents that attempt to prevent accidents and make you more visible. While my training rides here have also prompted question asking, they have been more along the lines of "Why would you market a line of black, solid colored cycling garments in a city with so much fog?"

While I'd like to avoid high inference statements about cycling clothes that demonstrate that you have money rather than cycling clothes that demonstrate that you have fun, this difference seems stark. Am I missing something? Is there another obvious reason to eschew mismatched cycling gear in favor of the all-black kit? Help me out, dear readers. Perhaps needless to say, I continue to pair pieces of my maize and blue University of Michigan kit with other random bits, like the bright pink jersey I mentioned earlier, and my Menstrual Cycles team jersey, all with the primary goal of making myself as noticeable as possible to cars on the road, and the secondary goal of wearing clean things while riding. Look for me on the roads in an awesome kit comprised of colors and patterns that were never meant to be!

 Looking out over the Marin Headlands

 Finally biked up to Muir Woods

Clouds from Twin Peaks

Quick updates!

It's somehow suddenly very late on Sunday, so here are some updates on the posts from the past few weeks.

The baby barrage: The neonates have started to arrive, and my list of knitting to-dos grows. They are all so cute, and so far have come with only the expected amount of drama. The combinations and permutations of yarns and patterns is increasingly overwhelming...

The cycling craziness: Last week was a cycling failure. Abject failure. I'm back in the saddle as of this morning, and aiming to increase my mileage pretty significantly this week. I'm planning to register for both rides shortly, and you all can anticipate desperate fundraising pleas to come!

The pet prancing: It continues. Need I say more? This week's feature is Aleks, who is shown below snuggled into his cave bed, nuzzling the squirt gun that has quickly morphed from a disciplinary tool to a game, and with his head stuck in a bag of caramel corn.

Like farm animals... making cute baby farm animals...

When one of my best friends and college roommate told me she was pregnant, I was super excited for her. When she told me how far along she was, I realized that her due date would line up with approximately five other friends who were expecting babies this year. All of them were due in the springtime or early summer of May and June. Shortly after I shared this, there was a thoughtful pause in our conversation. "We're like farm animals" she said, "all having babies at the same time." 

And here we are in early May, with all of my friends either at term or nearly so, and my list of things to knit keeps growing. You see, when I first started knitting things for babies I made tiny things: socks, hats, booties, etc. As the years went on I got faster and faster and more interested in knitting challenging things and creative things. This generally meant sweaters instead of hats and booties and when I was in graduate school this wasn't a big deal. The babies were fairly spaced out then (except for one year when there were ten) and I had lots of lecture time in which to occupy my hands. Fast-forward to residency, a time during which I have knit the lowest volume of items since learning the craft, and I'm struggling. The only saving grace is that everyone loves a six-month-size sweater even more than the newborn one. 

A sampling of the most recent garments:

Less thinking, more pets

This week was a whirlwind of driving and call, so I've done very little cycling or anything else. Here are some highlights of my week.

This is how Walter greeted me post-call yesterday. He desperately wanted me to rub his belly.

 Eli does not fit in the small box, but he is not willing to admit that he needs the larger box to accommodate him. I think he prefers the fit of the small box because it is snuggling him.

 Here I've captured Aleks climbing down off of my back where he thought he should ride after I leaned down to pick up the cat food. 

I stopped at the Lafayette Reservoir to knit for a few minutes post-call on Friday. I had a little time to sleep overnight, and an appointment in the East Bay that was just a little later than I'd expected. It was lovely. 

In which the pendulum swings entirely in the other direction

Having just written about the very real downsides of setting ambitious goals, I thought I would share today some of the ambitious goals that I've set for myself. It's been almost exactly four years since I last rode in a century ride, documented here. That was during the early part of my fourth year of medical school, and I think it's only fitting that I attempt another (at least) one while I'm a resident. It's not clear to me whether I'll actually have time to train, but I'm committed to trying.

The first ride is the Best Buddies Challenge from Carmel to Hearst Castle. The possible routes are detailed here, and I'm hoping to complete the 100 mile ride with my cousins. Both Matt and Chris are in much better shape than I, but hopefully they will ride slowly with me! If all else fails, I'll drive a little further down the coast (maybe Big Sur) and meet up with them for the last 62 or 30 miles, which I can definitely complete.

The second is a reprise of last years Waves to Wine with Team Menstrual Cycles. Last year I rode 40 miles on the second day, and this year I'm hoping to ride on both days, ideally completing the 100 mile ride on the first. I'm already registered (the link goes to my fundraising page!) but have realized that my clinical schedule may be all but impossible on that weekend, so keep your fingers crossed for me. Here is a flashback to last year's ride:

Chris and Matt, if you're reading this, you, too, could rock a cycling jersey with a uterus riding a bicycle!

On the perils of goal setting

Most people, including myself, would place the setting of goals solidly in the Venn diagram circle of "good" things. Today, however, I found myself reflecting that goal setting might instead be more accurately placed in the Boolean intersection of the circles encompassing "good" AND "bad" things. Some thoughts I had today while on my bicycle:

PROS Simply by setting goals I find myself to be more motivated to meet them, and doubly and even triply so if I've articulated them aloud or in writing and shared them with someone else There is almost nothing that I love more than checking things off of a to-do list Writing down specific goals often helps me to break up a task into more doable sections

CONS Sometimes goals cannot be met for an assortment of good reasons, and one can undertake crazy or unreasonable things simply for the sake of meeting a previously stated goal Items piling up on a to-do list are overwhelming Even the broken down goals may be way too much

Here I am at the top of Twin Peaks. You cannot see anything around me (nor could I) because I am surrounded by fog. I am soaking wet from the rain, and did not wear my bright green cycling rain jacket. I was inside the clouds, and not in a euphoric, cloud nine kind of way. In my defense, it was not raining when I left the house, and having recently created some very large cycling goals (more on that later), I couldn't bear the thought of missing out on a ride today. About 12 miles in, I am trying to look happy in this photo, despite being very cold and wet. Check?

The return of the post-call bike rides

My third year of residency has truly been a tour of models of resident coverage in a variety of different settings. At different points throughout the year I've worked in clinic only without any call, I've been the covering resident for anyone who is ill or otherwise unavailable, I've been on a night float team, and I've taken 24 hour call every three days, and I've been part of weekend call teams. There are definitely pluses and minuses to each one, and frankly all of them are exhausting in some way. For this current six week block, I'm on a (seemingly) random 24 hour call schedule, so I'll have non-weekend post-call days again! 

I'm definitely not in Hawaii anymore, and my post-call surrounds are distinctly more suburban versus exurban than tropical, with some agricultural sights thrown in for good measure. I'm also driving a car belonging to my amazing and gracious co-resident that does not hold my bike. These facts have necessitated a reconsideration of my previous (island-bound, Prius-driven) cycling regimen. I have dreams of a century ride (or even two!) in a few months, so we'll see if I can make those come true. 

 First post-call ride was a jaunt through Golden Gate Park and down the beach. Sometimes I forget that we live in a really beautiful place...

Second post-call ride was a painful reminder through the Presidio that my night float biking was really only my short nightly commute and that I am profoundly deconditioned...

Post-call

This weekend feels like one long post-call day. I'm finally done with my block of nights and am trying to adjust back to living in the day. The last block was a bit of a low time both for taking and posting pictures, but back by popular demand is an Anne Geddes-inspired photo of the dog, and some flattering close-ups of the cats...

  

The clouds of SF

I've continued to lament the lack of breathtaking beaches and mountains in my bike rides since returning from Hawaii. There is nothing quite so satisfying as sharing not only that I biked some longer-than-expected mileage, but that I also saw an oceanscape that would make most postcards jealous. After moping about this for some time, however, someone wiser than I suggested that most people consider Northern California to be quite beautiful in its own right, and that I might be selling the Bay Area a little bit short. Since that conversation, I've gone on some pretty spectacular rides - through the Marin Headlands, around Twin Peaks, up and down in the Presidio, just to name a few - and must begrudgingly acknowledge that San Francisco is quite a lovely place to ride. Lately, in particular, I've been noticing that while the fog is not generally considered beautiful, it seems to sometimes lead to lovely clouds. Some examples below.

 Over Sausalito

 From the lookout in the Presidio

 On Ocean Beach

 From Twin Peaks

At the corner of Gough and Eddy

As old as the redwoods, and other weekend escapades

Many of you will know that I had a birthday on Friday. It was not a major milestone birthday, but it did happen to fall during a clinical block where I, wait for it, did not have any cases scheduled so had a secret day off. Yes, it's true, I lounged around the house eating french toast and watching television in the morning, and then went on a bike ride in the afternoon. It was phenomenal. In honor of becoming old(er?), I opted to bike up to some redwood trees on Friday. I ended up riding up to the young ones near Muir Woods because I had it in my mind that I would bike 33 miles round trip, and the older trees were too far away.

 I stood in the middle and contemplated briefly that, in the scheme of things, I'm not so very old. 

 Later in the day I also got carded when I ordered a beer, so then I really felt not so very old.

Later in the weekend I also biked up into the headlands. My lower body is sore today, but I'm feeling good that I biked >90 miles last week!

Gratuitous cat photos

For everyone in my life who strongly wishes to see updates about the cats, with apologies to those who don't. These are from the past week, in which I have been on a very light rotation with sufficient time to take photos of the cats while doing laundry, reading research methods, and otherwise engaging in non-residency life. 

 Laundry day means blankets on the floor!

This needs no explanation. Left to right: Aleks, Eli

A change of scene

Since returning to California, I've been cycling to work again, which is lovely. I greatly appreciate that I do not have to get into a car on most days. This commitment to commuting by bicycle has, however, been challenged by the rain. I think the only up side to the yearlong drought that has (had?) afflicted this part of the country was that I did not have to get out my rain gear for nearly a year. The down side to that was that I forgot how important appropriate preparations were to cycling in the rain. This has led to some important bike lessons...

 On a particularly blustery day, during which I was required to be at multiple campuses, I discovered that an impermeable boot cover from the OR makes a perfect seat cover! It even works if the seat is already soaking wet from being rained on during your entire robotic surgery...

 And today I invested in some fancy shoe covers of my own. I didn't think it would work to just put the blue ones from the OR on under my rain pants, though I guess that is my back-up option...

Everyone will be happy that they have lights!

Goodbye, Hawaii!

I've been home for a week now, and am hopeful that I'll be able to keep up with a little bit of photo-sharing. I can only hope that the trials and tribulations of one ridiculous little dog can compete with the sweeping ocean vistas I've been sharing... Here are the last Hawaii photos to share!

 Can you find the critically endangered monk seals in this photo taken at windy Ka'ena Point? We watched them sleep and flop around for at least an hour. Perhaps they were post-call, also?

 The highlight of snorkeling here was a giant (>5 ft) eel we saw swim below us. We have some very avant guard video footage of us swimming, but did not successfully capture much in terms of the beautiful fish we saw. It was much more enjoyable once we stopped trying. 

Can you believe this is the same ocean? It's the SF side - I'm back to biking in the bay! 

Hills and Island Snow!

Today I intended to have a relaxing afternoon at Kailua Beach. I did not, however, take into account that it is the week between the holidays, when everyone who is going to vacation in Hawaii ever descends upon the beaches, and that the first family is vacationing in Kailua itself, and that I have very little tolerance for crowded beaches. So I ate my lunch there briefly and headed out on my bike! More hills today than any prior bike ride, which was lovely. Not anything crazy, but probably a good reminder for my legs for the Presidio when I get home.

 I think we might be able to kayak to these...

I stood in line at the Obamas' preferred shave ice location, Island Snow. This one is lilikoi and coconut. There is a scoop of macadamia nut ice cream on the bottom, which I thought sounded interesting even though the president apparently does not take his shave ice with ice cream. I think there are some other famous shave ice locations I could check out, though I'm currently feeling more interested in breadth than depth in my dessert exploration...

Another ride, another dessert

You all may be tiring of this now repeating plot line, but I'm certainly not done yet. I covered another large chunk of the windward side of the island on my bike today, and stopped for another dessert.

Team Menstrual Cycles take Oahu! (And some weird post-call+helmet hair...)

One of the larger and permanent farm stands offered a half papaya with passion fruit sorbet. It was the perfect mid-ride snack.

 The mountains are hard to photograph with my phone, but loom somehow larger and greener on the windward side. 

Biking Oahu

I've been working on biking all the way around the island in little segments. Since there aren't a lot of roads further inland to make loops, I just bike half the distance I want to go, and then turn around and bike back. So far, these are the rides I've done:

The longest was today, along the leeward side of the island between Kapolei and Ka'ena Point. It was lovely! 

Snow for the holidays

On Sunday I was again post-call and had quite an adventure. I had slept quite a bit on call the night before so elected to go directly to the North Shore for another bike ride. I'm sort of trying to bike around the entire circumference of the island before Lynn arrives. I've been making decent headway!

To start, I saw my first Hawaiian rainbows. They made the gas station I was at seem much more scenic and lovely.

Then I rode my bike from Waialua to Ka'ena Point, stopping at a few scenic places along the way.  

 On my way back, I took a little side trip onto a road that was recommended by Midwife Mary. She said, and I quote, "It is a nice paved road that goes up into the hills and has beautiful views. You just go into a gate that is across from the polo fields and before you get to the airfield." I followed her instructions to the letter, but somehow ended up here, on my road bike. This photo was taken in the middle of a nature reserve that, although lovely, contained locusts that I initially thought were birds because they were so large. I will be follow-up up with Midwife Mary regarding her recommendation. I don't know where I went wrong. 

Once I had recovered from the locusts and the dirt road, I went into Haleiwa for some food. I went to Giovanni's Shrimp Truck which proved as delicious as the reviews promised. Then I noticed that there was a truck called the Snow Factory right next door. Now, I had tried shave ice, which is basically just a sno-cone, and although delicious at the end of a totally unshaded hike is not a life-changing event. I had also heard that "island snow" was a concoction consisting of a scoop of soft serve underneath a snow cone, mostly in the news due to President Obama's dedication to the dessert, though he apparently doesn't like the ice cream and prefers just the shave ice. I was curious about this truck, and learned that they make finely shaved milk-based shave ice that is not only beautiful but delicious, and is served with toppings that include mochi balls and weird gelatin-encased juice droplets. This is my mango-passion fruit flavored bowl, and a picture of the fluffy inside. This was amazing. So amazing that a little friend tried to join my snack time. 

I may have overdone it a bit, and did nothing with my post-call day today because I was exhausted. There are worse things.