30 Something Baby Doc

After a considerable amount of urging by one of my buddies, I went to the racing park with him for the last open track of the season.

All comers can line up on the drag strip and burn some rubber in the quarter mile. I've been to the track a few times before and I'm always impressed by the variety of cars. Everything from souped up compacts to rare exotic sports cars. And everyone from eager teens to middle-aged businessmen just wanting to blow off some steam after work.

Although I just paid to be a spectator, I have to say this is a much safer way to satisfy my street urges. It's a nice controlled environment and a mile of open track without all those pesky obstacles like traffic and/or pedestrians. The only thing you can hit is the guy racing next to you (and maybe the guard wall). My buddy raced several times in his souped up Grand Cherokee (He's an incredible driver). Some of his times were better than several sports cars.

I think I'll put my mustang on the track next season. The performance of my mustang is formidable with well over 400 hp but in the end...It's the skill of the driver that matter most.

I couldn't hold out any more.

It was getting too frigid

I had to turn on my heat.

:-(

As a middle school aged black male growing up in the heart of Washington, DC, my listening preferences consisted of mainly R&B/ Soul music ...The O-jays, Kool and the Gang, Cameo and Earth Wind and Fire. I considered Rock as a genre only appreciated by white people. Folk and Country was definitely for losers

During junior high and high school I was witness to the birth of Hip Hop and Rap. I was in love! Run DMC, Kool Mo Dee, LL Cool J and Tribe Called Quest to name a few.

In college and graduate school I still held true to my roots but there was something about Rock and Heavy Metal that I found appealing. Research in my rising interest lead me to Classic Rock...Led Zepplin, Jimi Hendrix, The Stones. I was also hitting the club scene where House and Techno was gaining popularity. I loved the intensity and rapid beats.

Now in my Mid-Thirties, I'm just plain confused. But ever since I picked up the acoustic guitar, I'm finding Coffee House Rock and Alernative Rock very appealing..Jose Gonzalez, Grant Lee Phillips and Brett Dennen....I'm even enjoying some Country and Folk. I guess I'm a loser after all.

I was told by my colleague and mentor the other day (during my annual eval) that I'm underachieving in the process towards promotion to full professorship. Another Hurdle presents itself! Since I graduated from high school, my life has been a series of hurdles as I pursued my career. I have spent all of my 20's and half of my 30's struggling to achieve career goals (one after the other) and sacrificing personal enrichment in the process. When I became a assistant professor and board certified physician, I had hoped I could moderately slow my pace down.

I love teaching residents and medical students. I also very much enjoy providing obstetrical care to a diverse patient population. I felt like I had finally reached a point in my life where I could find personal satisfaction with the here and now. But I guess satisfaction with with the latter isn't enough. The hurdles never end and when you achieve a specific goal, several other associated goals presents themselves. I'm discovering the sad truth ...."There is a fine line between personal satisfaction and professional stagnation"

The race will never end........?

It was a very busy nite on call this Friday. One of those "all hell breaking loose" kind of nites, the kind that I laugh at when I see them glamorized on TV medical dramas.

We had done several C-sections back to back and had just rushed a patient pregnant with twins to the OR who was about to delivery rapidly. Both babies delivered vaginally without any problems. Just as the second twin delivered, the emergency room call the resident to notify us that they were rushing a patient up to our unit who was about to deliver. The charge nurse was very irritated and angry that the ER hadn't notify her initially. I could tell the stressful night was eating away at her. We intercepted the patient at the elevator and moved her into the triage area. The patient only spoke french and was unaware that she was pregnant at all. The resident quickly scanned the patient with the ultrasound and discovered the patient to be 36 weeks (8 months pregnant) and in a breech (butt first) presentation. Thru a translator, the patient indicated that she had previously had 9 vaginal deliveries. On vaginal examination her cervix was already dilated significantly. Given her history of several vaginal deliveries, I knew should was at risk of delivering quickly and infants delivered is the breech position have a higher risk of death and long term disabilities. I immediately instructed the residents to take the patient directly to the OR in order to setup for a C-section. We started heading towards he OR and the charge nurse quickly caught up with us. She was highly frustrated and I could hear it in her voice. She exclaimed that all he OR's were dirty form the previous C-sections. She became more upset stating we just can't move patients back to the OR without notifying her. I tried to explain to her my reasoning for rushing the patient back, ask her for her suggestions and I tried to offer other alternatives in order to expedite the patients surgery. But mostly I felt bad about my decision not to notify the charge nurse of our intentions. I honestly just didn't think about calling because I know we would contact all key individuals once we reached the OR.

We took the patient to OR holding while we waited for the OR to be cleaned. The patient eventually underwent a C-section without complications. Mom and baby did fine:-) I guess I just have to think more prior to making decisions.

The following was actually part of an unsolicited response in a bar on Saturday night

Moderately inebriated female in bar - "I naired my pussy today!!"

Maybe I need to stop telling people what I do for a living??

It's Friday and I'm on call tonight at the county hospital.

When I first started working at my group, I was ritualistically grumpy just before I went on call and now recently, I think I can describe my pre-call mood as one of mild depression. Taking call on Friday makes it all the more depressing as other individuals are looking forward to fun and frolic at the weeks end.

Well at least I have my guitar....now, if only I could play it.

ps .......The first 3 tunes that I have strummed with fair decency were 1) Jingle Bells 2) Row, Row your Boat 3) and (believe it or not) The Wedding March

I purchased a cheap piece of shit guitar to keep in my office. I tend to have a lot of downtime when I'm on call and though it would be easier to practice if I kept one at the hospital as opposed to lugging my pricier guitar from home to work. If I don't improve (with my playing) soon though, I'll likely get my office moved to the basement:-(

A patient walk into the Emergency Room the other day with a chief complaint of.......


"Increased sexual appetite"

(I shit you not)

I was forced to call a plumber on Friday due to a major leak from my 2nd floor master bath to my 1s floor hallway. Water was puring through the light fixture. (I was thankful I had renewed my home warranty.) Unfortunately he had to cut a huge chunk of drywall out of my ceiling in order to repair the leak.

Through the course of small talk, the plumber discovered I was a physician specializing in obstetrics and gynecology. From that point, he asked me a series of strange medical questions while he performed his repairs. At one point he even asked me to look at the lump on his back. But his questions culminated with he following.

Plumber - Can I ask you a question? Well actually it's very embarrassing and I'm ashamed to ask it, but I'm gonna ask you anyway.

Me - what's your question dude??

Plumber - What's he fastest way to get a chick off sexually??

How do you rationalize with a patient that walks into your doctor's office high on Cocaine, Heroine, Speed or some other obnoxious substance????