Top Ten: Good Times.

This has been a fun week. There's been lots of things that have made me smile---and laugh.
 This week I bring you ten of those things. . . . . .

#10  --  Wowie Howie!

"Wanna hear it? Here it go!"  (image credit)

One of my most favorite people-slash-medical students, Howie C., is an MD/PhD candidate who happens to be equally as nerdy as I am when it comes to telling stories and writing them down. For this reason, I love talking to him and advising him and listening to him and learning from him. He's a smart guy who's going to make a wonderful physician someday.

Anyways.

Enough of all that. Howie regularly participates in this storytelling open mike-thingie where you literally throw your name in a hat and (if your name gets pulled) jump on the stage and get your storytell on.

Turns out that the last time Howie went, they pulled his name and he indeed rocked the mike. But. Turns out that CNN was there at the same time and did a story on the whole shebang--including a big ol' glossy photo of Howie. Peep the story here. Oh, and peep Howie's blog here. Howie gets a little shy about shout outs, but I did get permission first. So check him out.

(Uuuuhh Howie? This means you need to post, aiight?)

#9 --  Gettin' busy.

At the nail salon with my sister, JoLai. . .

Nail lady: "Sister, you want the busy toe?"

Me: "The busy toe?"

Nail lady: "Yeah, the busy toe. You know, the busy toe with the design."

Me: "Heck yeah!"


Total price of busy toe? $23 bucks, baby! (Remember my rad toes from last time I was in L.A.?)

I love L.A.! (We love ittttt!)

#8 -- The Three Muskateers.

This conversation had to do with the best ways to brush teeth. Those guys get into some real deep conversations. I'm just sayin'.

#7 -- Wiggin' out . . .or Gettin' Wiggy with it. . .

Not-so-extreme makeover.

I was hanging out with one of my homegirls from high school yesterday and she had this cute little Peter Pan pixie hair cut.

"Your hair looks adorable!" I told her. "I can't believe you cut it all off!"

"Girl, please," she replied. "This is a what? WIG, boo!"

"Shut UP!" I screamed. Then I said, "I wanna try it on!"

And seeing as my homegirl doesn't take herself too seriously, she pulled it right off and let me.


Awesome.

By the way, Zachary saw this picture and had this to say:

"Um, Mommy? I really don't like it. Really don't."

So much for that. 




#6 -- Small group = Family time.

The family is about to grow!

 Even though my vacation started on Monday, I spent time with two of advisees on Monday and even came to the School of Medicine for our small group session.  This picture was taken in 2009--when my current third year students were spankin' new M1s, and my recently graduated group were starting the M3 year. It's hard to believe that they are now the "big kids on the block."

Small Group Alpha

Small Group Beta

 On Tuesday, I will meet the next generation in our small group family--"Small Group Gamma." (The students came up with this whole Greek alphabet nomenclature, by the way.)

I told them that I was really nervous about it because it feels a lot like having a third baby--and I've never had a third baby. I remembered what my grandmother said when I asked her about her eleven children and thirty-some-odd grandkids and loving them--"Your heart makes room."

So in an effort for us all to make room in our hearts, I asked them all to spend ten minutes writing a special message to the eight new advisees coming to the "Team Manning" family. A few words of wisdom from those older sibs who are already in the trenches. . . . and wow. . .they gave some awesome advice! We read them out loud and laughed out loud, too. It was great.

The other awesome part was that Small Group Alpha (my first small group) has been sending messages from the front lines of internship about what it's like. At our session Tuesday, I read a few of those words to them. They were on the edges of their chairs.  The whole thing was warm and fuzzy and full circle.

I went back and watched this, and it made me all happy inside. And a little tearful, too.


Small Group Alpha - EUSOM Class of 2011 from Kimberly Manning on Vimeo.



My how they grow!

#5 -- Ant rules the world!

Antoinette is the last Mohican remaining from Small Group Alpha. She's graduating this year because she spent an extra year getting a Masters of Public Health. Currently, Ant is in Guatemala working on an awesome research project.

Would you believe that this is the 26th country that she has gone to on her travels? Twenty six! Antoinette's fearless approach to travel, life, and adventure always makes me smile. I'm so, so proud of her.

Oh yeah, Antoinette has a blog and writes beautifully. She'll be blogging from Guatemala--check her out!

(Ant? We'll be counting on you to post, too. . . )



#4 -- JoLai.

Talking to my sister JoLai always makes me smile. No matter how dumb my jokes are, she always laughs. This was from yesterday on a sunny patio near the beach.. . .

I love that girl.



#3 -- Walking in L.A.

This ain't the only trunk with junk.

Crossing the street today. . . .

"Hey! You with the big booty! Watch out 'fore you get hit!"

Somebody yelled this from a car. There were four of us crossing the street at the time and we still aren't sure who the dude was talking to. That would be because we all. . . .ummm. . . yeah. We just aren't sure who that was for.

The funniest part was how we all turned around when he said it. . . .

#2 --  Under the Big Top.

Dad texted this picture of the kids and him from the circus last night.  Yes. The circus.

I asked him what Zachary did to get him to buy that big ol' hat. Answer? "He asked."

Of course he did.

#1 --  Only at Grady.

Dude. Now sometimes there are things that happen at Grady that I tell people and they say, "You have to be making that up!" And no matter how many times I swear up and down that I AM telling the truth, sometimes there are things that are just so ridiculous that you need photographic or videographic proof.

Enter our good friend Neil W.

So. . .  (since I'm on the West coast right now)  in my absence, he sent me this message on Tuesday:

Thought ive seen everything at Grady. Rained HARD for 30 min. Couldnt get to hosp from FOB [Faculty Office Building]. When I did I saw a lake flooding road at McDonald's and 2 guys kayaking what use to be the street!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone

Kayaking? Kayaking?

I immediately screamed and demanded to know if he'd taken pictures. Regrettably he hadn't taken any photos . . . . .aaaaah, but he did take VIDEO.  Yes!  He was on the seventh floor of the hospital at this point, but if you look carefully you can spot these two folks floating down Jesse Hill Jr. Drive in front of Grady Hospital--in a KAYAK.

Now. 


Why did they have a kayak with them? I do not know.


Whose idea it was to get out and kayak? I have no idea.


Oh, and what do we have against Georgia State University? Nothing. It just happens to be up the street from Grady. 


That? That was the funniest thing I have seen all week.  

See? It's good to have people on the blogworthy case in my absence--thanks, Neil!


***
Happy Friday.


Now playing on my mental iPod. . . .ode to my hometown. . . .