Thursday, May 31, 2007

Courtesy of LadyLungDoc, an interview.

1) What's the origin of your blogger name? The doc part is obvious. And I went to the University of South Carolina for med school, hence the Gamecock. And I like the rhyming.

2) What was the first pet that you ever had? A big fluffy sheepdog named Max. Then he developed a lot of allergies including one to our carpet and starting losing his fur. So sad. But he was still a sweetie. He just needed frequent baths in special shampoo.

3) What do you want to be when you grow up? Um... a doctor. I haven't made any specific decisions yet.

4) Which relative of yours do you resemble the most in either temperament or appearance? Everyone says I'm like my mother's mother. She died long before I was born but everyone says my mannerisms and laugh are just like hers. And she was a knitter too!

5) What is your favourite late night snack? Ice cream... yum. It's become an on call tradition. We have a Friendly's in the hospital that's open 24 hours and we have ice cream runs at midnight.

What fun! Anyone who wants to play, leave a comment and I'll send you your own interview questions.

And now, in other news, I saw the Yarn Harlot last night! What a great time. She is so funny, even better in person than on her blog. Telling great stories about CHOKE (cultural humiliation of knitters everywhere) and how knitters are constantly underestimated. And thanks to getting out to see her I got to meet some knitters in the area who have a group on Wednesdays. Yay! A knitting group! Because I can only go so long knitting all alone. I've tried to make my friends into knitters, but so far I've had little success. Finding preexisting knitters is way easier! I also made some progress on my Hufflepuff sock which is good since the deadline is looming nearer. Can't let my pal down! So all in all, a good night out. And boy did I need it. I have had a horrible week. Some seriously sick patients, lots of family meetings to discuss withdrawing care, and a roller coaster ride with one patient who almost dies then gets a little better then almost dies then gets a little better then almost dies then... you get the idea. It's mentally exhausting.

I've been doing some stash enhancement lately (internet yarn stores are evil) and as an enabler I have to share some great sites. I bought all my Louet and some accessories at the Loopy Ewe. A great site that I'm stalking because it will soon have some Yarntini. I had never heard of it, but my secret pal is dying to try some so I'm trying to find it. The other site is Sonny & Shear and I can't reveal what I bought there yet in case my movie swap pal reads this. But let me assure you, I got some great yarn. Gorgeous! I also stocked up on stitch markers. Some for me but most for my various swap pals. The pictures on the site are way better than I could take so check them out. They are perfect little markers. Pretty but not too big. I hate when stitch markers are bulky or heavy; they get in the way. These are lovely and very reasonably priced. The fun part about shopping from these smaller sites is the little personal touches. Like handwritten notes personalized to your purchase, or a little gift like some yummy tea. I'm always a little nervous the first time I try a new online site, but these were all great experiences. Wonderful products, super quick shipping. Success all around.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Just a quick post today. Been working hard on the medicine wards and I'm so tired. But the weather is amazing and everything is blooming. Horrible for my allergies and asthma but so pretty. The other day I was complaining about how bad my allergies are and how I need to go to the doctor to get a new Allegra prescription. How am I going to find time off to go to the doctor? Then I had one of those "Wait a second... I'm a doctor" moments and called it in for myself. I love being able to do that!

So in between blowing my nose and coughing I've been getting some knitting done. Working on my Hogwarts sock swap pal's socks and loving them. I've also been shopping for little goodies to put in the package. The candy shop nearby had a whole shelf of Harry Potter candy, so my pal will be getting a nice assortment including cockroach clusters. Then I did some shopping for my Knitflix summer swap partner's yarn online today. Can't say any more yet because it isn't a secret swap. I of course ordered a skein of sock yarn for myself too. It's a brand I haven't tried before and I'm excited to see it. I've also been playing with the goodies my secret pal sent me and learning how to cable. Sorry I've been so slack and haven't posted a picture of my wonderful package. No exuse, just my inherent slackness. Promise to be better in the future and post a picture when I get my act together.

Some big plans for the next few weeks. First the Yarn Harlot is coming to town. She'll be speaking at the Calvin (one of my favorite places in town and where I saw my one and only someone Jamie Cullum live) and signing books at Webs. Anyone in the area going to see her? I don't have any knitting friends in town since I haven't been able to find a group, so I'll be heading over there on my own. Would love to meet up with anyone coming into town. Then in June I get some time off and I'm planning a trip to Maine. Some of my fellow interns are from Maine and keep talking about how wonderful it is, so I'm going to check it out. I figure I should travel New England while I'm up here. So I'm going to spend a few days in Bar Harbor and do a little New England yarn crawl. I'll be scouring the internet to find yarn shops between here and there so I can check them out on the way. Any suggestions?