Top Ten: Blogworthy Moments

Poopdeck showing me how tall Isaiah has gotten this summer.

Hey y'all. Can't you tell I'm off? Second blog post of the day! Whoa!

Today was a pretty lazy day. I didn't have to go into Grady and as hard as it might be for my friends to believe, I actually didn't either. So I simply rested and did the things I wanted to do. I went for a walk/run at the Y. I read some non-medical stuff on my e-reader. I took a nap. I went grocery shopping. I skyped with the kids and Papa. Essentially, I did whatever I felt like doing.

And nothing I didn't feel like doing.

So here's what I am feeling like doing now. A random top ten! Woo hooooo!

Like to hear it? Here it go!

Today I bring you. . . . .

THE TOP TEN SUPER-RANDOM 

YET FOR WHATEVER REASON BLOGWORTHY THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED IN MY LIFE, AROUND MY LIFE, OR IN PEOPLE MAGAZINE IN THE LAST WEEK -- 

AND THE LESSONS I LEARNED FROM THEM 

(WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT BE IMPORTANT)

 And let me just warn you. I'm off of work this week and  have no idea what direction I'm going with this post. Which means anything could happen. Feel free to stop reading now if you'd like.

Shall we?


#10  -- NOTCHO GAZPACHO!

Well, here's a good place to start.

My cry for gazpacho helped me to realize how many cool people I have reading my blog. Thank you to those who sent me recipes and also to Lesley M. who personally offered me a to-go Tupperware-ful of the batch in her fridge.

 Just like Sister Moon recommended, I decided to try my hand at a hybrid of the recipes I'd received plus what what I found on line that looked good. I wanted to use the Pioneer Woman one that Mary Alice told me about, but for whatever reason whenever I go to the Pioneer Woman blog she weirds me out with her perfectness. So I took some parts of hers (after my brief and creeped out visit there)--but also Barefoot Contessa's and the super awesome one that Lulumarie sent me.

So the first thing I discovered was that my big food processor that I got as a wedding gift and never, ever use is no longer working. Thank goodness for the mini-chopper that I DO use because we got-er done with that.

The other thing I figured out is that fresh garlic is STRONG. And three cloves of it in your gazpacho might be just a wee bit too much. And I'm a garlic lover.

Hey Lulumarie! I used V8 instead of regular tomato juice -- in fact, I used the spicy version! 

Score!

So I poured it all into a container and stuck it in the fridge. But not before putting a serving in a ziplock bag and then popping it into the freezer for expedited cooling and consumption.

Lesson learned:  Gazpacho can cure anything that ails you in the summer. But if you plan to make some, use two garlic cloves instead of three--or just let it sit long enough to calm the garlic down. Mine calmed down after sitting overnight.

#9  Surprise, but not "SUR-PRIIIIISE!!"

40 ROCKS!

No seriously. It really does.

My good friend Akima H. turned 40 last month and last Saturday her dear husband Mark threw her a surprise birthday party on a swanky outdoor hotel roof lounge. And see, this is the kind of party that you need to be over thirty to have. What can I say? It just had an extra. . . grown. . .feel to it.

Like, we didn't even jump out and yell "SURPRISE!" He just sort of brought her up there and she started seeing everyone and it all came together. Which, to me, was a much more grown way to surprise somebody than hollering in their face.

Plus when you are 40, you or the people you know just might have a cardiac arrest from being surprised like that. Oh, and did I mention? My friend Akima is expecting her second child, so that also made the not hollering part good.

And yes, a lot of women who are 40 are having babies.

So yeah. Her "big reveal" at the party was super chill and swanky. See, cause when you get more grown -- as in 40 and up -- that's just how you get down. (See? This would never occur to you twenty-somethings, now would it?)

 

The party was very Real Housewives-esque. . . . except without the hollering, backstabbing, and name-calling.  Hmmm. On second thought, how can something be Real Housewives-esque without conflict?

There was no conflict here. Instead there was just a beautiful forty year-old woman being celebrated by a bunch of her friends who also happen to be in their forties. . . .and okay with it.

 Lesson learned:  40 is the new 40 -- and this is the new 40.

And here's some grown and sexy music in case you don't believe me. Yessirrrrrrr. (It might explain why some forty-somethings are still having babies. . . cough. . .I'm just sayin'.



#8  Brett and Adaeze.

First, Brett.

This is Brett M. And this photo was taken in the lobby of Grady Hospital on Brett's last day of residency. I just adore him. Seriously. Have you ever met someone who's just good through and through? Like if you sliced them in half, a beam of light would be inside instead of guts and gore?

If not, you need to meet Brett M.

Anyways. I've known him since he was a medical student. After serving as his clinic attending every single week since he started as an intern, I got to know him well. I heard all about his weekends and his life and his hobbies between patients. And that was great. Really great.

On Saturday, his girlfriend had come to the hospital to get a glimpse of a day in his life. Before his life changed to something else. I ran into them -- and since I've heard a ton about his girlfriend -- I was super-happy to actually meet her.

She was as sweet and adorable as she appears. And being with Brett made her even more so.

 But hold up! 

It was totally time for Brett to finish residency because I looked down and noticed that he'd busted a hole in the side of a pair of DANSKOS. I didn't even know that was possible! But yet. . . .curiously, Brett managed to do that. So hallelujah that he's finishing his residency!

(I've got to talk to that girlfriend of his about getting that man some more shoes before starting his gastroenterology fellowship.)

Next, Adaeze.

Here is Adaeze (pronounced A-DAZE-A) on her final day of residency.

I adore this woman. I truly do. Like Brett, I've known her since she was a medical student and had the distinct pleasure of being her attending physician on her very first Grady ward month as an intern -- and again on her final ward month as a senior resident.

I paged her on June 30 just hoping that maybe she was somewhere in-house. And she WAS! Yaaaay!!

She had just finished rounding in the ICU and I had just finished rounding on the wards--and we finished at the same time! So I invited her to have some post-Grady breakfast with me. . .you know. . .now that we're both fully bona fide internists and all. She obliged me and we had an awesome time!

Loved it.

On the way to eat, I asked her to do this "free at last" shot on her exit from Grady.

I was so glad the planets aligned for us to be together on her last day.

Lesson Learned:
1. Danish clogs can get holes in them.
2. I am fortunate to build some really wonderful relationships with my learners.

#7 Old married ladies.

These two sweet faces belong to Paulina and Karen. This photo was taken at the end of their chief residency at Grady Hospital back in. . . hmm. . .2009, was it? Anyways. They have since moved into their respective fields of Infectious Diseases and Rheumatology respectively. But they haven't moved on from being two of my favorite people.

 

The other lovely lady pictured in this photo from that same time is my dear friend Stacy H. Stacy and I work together on the Residency Leadership Committee and we both grew quite close to Paulina and Karen during their training and during that year.

Our working relationship with them evolved to a friendship. In fact, Stacy and I flew all the way to Mexico City for Paulina's wedding and were side by side at the "Grady Table" at Karen's nuptials this past April. 

Pau and Russ'  wedding day, 2010

Me y Stacy in la ciudad de Mexico

Good times in Mexico City, baby!

And look at this beautiful bride, Karen (Le Lin) on her big day!

Sealing the deal with one of my former TY interns, David

The "G for Grady" table:  We don't miss a good par-tay!

 So now we are all just a bunch of old married ladies. So we did what old married ladies do -- we "did lunch!"

Wait. If "brunch" is breakfast + lunch, what is lunch + dinner? "Lunner?" "Dinch?" 

I think I like "dinch."

Except "dinch" for us ended up swirling into the late evening hours with all the LOL-ing and "Girrrrrl, shut-yo-mouth"-ing!

Can't you tell that we're totally getting all the dirt from each other? I had to miss out on some of it to get this picture below. . .

Yeah. We pretty much shut the place down. And it was 100% awesome.

Way past dinch-time.

Love these girls.

Lesson Learned:  For real, true friend time, you need to carve out a good block of time sometimes.


#6 Feeling special.

Y'all know how I feel about my medical students. Current ones. Former ones. All of 'em.

I take pride in the relationships we've built over the years and this week I had several reminders of how special those relationships have become.

First, this:

A text message from Hreem, one of my seven students from Small Group Alpha. Hreem is now starting her second year of residency in Chicago. Her boyfriend Neel had just proposed and she sent a text message to our small group almost immediately afterward. 

I felt special to be included in that announcement.

Next, this:

A photo texted to me all the way from Vietnam. Four of the six people photographed here are in my third small group -- Small Group Gamma. They're all on summer break and Erica U. sent me this photo of them after they'd just gone cycling through a monsoon. I asked her if she was texting me from Asia. Her answer?

"Well, I missed you for some reason at this very moment so figured I'd shoot you a picture of some of your fav people."

Sigh.

And this one on the fourth of July from another one of my SG Gamma members who was stateside:

"Hey Dr. M, Happy Fourth! Thought I'd share a piece of good news with you!"

Sigh again.

Super happy for you, too, Courtney. And your sweetheart, Cody.

Lesson Learned:
It's good to be on the list for mentoring and advising students. But it feels even better to be on the list for those special moments that have nothing to do with the classroom.



#5 Katie left Tom?

Awww, damn. According to People Magazine (which I'm all caught up on since I'm on stay-cation), the dude was blindsided by the announcement. Yes. I know the relationship appeared a little odd. But I wouldn't wish that on anybody. I feel kind of bad for the dude. And her, too. And especially that little daughter of theirs.

Lesson Learned:  Just because you names make a cute hybrid like "TomKat" doesn't mean that you're home free.


#4 The Real Hotmess Housewives.

They all give me heartburn. Every version. Every city. Every storyline.

And yet. Curiously. I have watched. More than once.

Lesson Learned:  Self-centered ridiculousness makes for good television. 

#3 Slap yo' mama.

I was in the hair salon and this dude came in selling peach cobbler. And let me just tell you his story real quick--'cause you know I got it.

So check it. This guy -- whose name is Joshua -- well Joshua was raised by a wonderful stepmom and she taught him how to make peach cobbler from her special recipe. Unfortunately she passed away and he carried on the recipe at family events. Joshua lost his job and decided to take what little he had and made a batch of peach cobblers to sell.

And sell they did.

So here I am sitting under the dryer and in walks Joshua with his little mini-cobblers. And he had such faith in his recipe that he said he'd let me taste one, assuring me that it would be the best I've ever had.

Game on!

Chile, please.

Can I please just say that if my mother had been anywhere in the vicinity, I would have definitely slapped her! (Sorry, mom.) It was THAT good. I have the number but not a website. If you're in the Atlanta area and want to get some SLAP YO' MAMA GOOD peach cobbler, shoot me an email on my gradydoctor@gmail.com address.

Oh yeah.

For those who are completely perplexed by the idea of a random dude selling peach cobblers-to-go up in the hair salon, it is clear to me that a.) you are not black, and b.) you are black but you need to hand in your membership card. Whether a. or b. applies to you,  of course you know that I'm committed to cultural competency on this here blog so I'm happy to bridge that little gap for you.

Real talk? There is nothing and I do mean NOTHING unusual about the occurrence of a random dude rolling up on you in a black hair salon with some homemade desserts in a giant plastic bin. AT ALL. In fact, you just might be able to buy any of the following in the hair salon I go to:

• peach cobbler
• some costume jewelry
• Spanx
• school supplies
• a designer handbag
• a shrimp po'boy
• Spanish wavy 100% human hair

and much, much more. 

By the way--for a fun little romp in my beauty shop, read this post--it's one of my favorites.

Lesson Learned:

1. Bring cash to the hair salon. Even if your stylist takes checks and credit cards.
2. You can't ever knock somebody's hustle.

My hair salon post reminded me of this:


What you know about Big Maybelle?

*eyeroll*

Under 40 youngsters.

#2 -- Summer lovin' . . .had me a blast. . . .

He's hot. He's confident. He's mine. He's the B.H.E.

Being with this man never gets old for me.  This is from the party I mentioned earlier in #9. This picture was taken right before I walked over to him and acted like I'd never met him before. Or that I had seen him somewhere but couldn't place where. He went along with it. Mmmm hmm. He sure did. Ha ha ha.

Lesson Learned: Ladies, you have to keep things spontaneous. Gentlemen? Y'all, too.

#1 -- Firecracker Day!

First, some lovely time on a patio with my linesisters, Joy and Ebony!

 

We go waaaaay back despite how amaaaaaazing we look to be 40 and over . . . ha ha .

Up on the roof. . .

Next, I went to my brother Will's veterinary clinic to watch fireworks on the rooftop in downtown Decatur, Georgia. And let me just mention how super proud I am of my brother and his clinics! Ah hem. He and his wife own and run The Village Vets, and the swanky 11.000 square foot building we all hung out in on the fourth is the flagship facility built in 2008. They have another in Buckhead and another in Lilburn. If you have pets, you need to be taking your pets to the best vets in the ATL!

Not. Even. Kidding.

Okay, back to our regular scheduled programming!

I got to hang out with my family which includes this handsome nephew of mine, David. He's looking all mannish these days.

 Here's us from exactly one year before.

See? Doesn't he look more mannish than he did last year?  Cannot. Take. It.

And here's a picture of my mom with my sister-in-law Frannie who is not only gorgeous, but pretty much the most totally freakin' awesome sis-in-law possible.  

Anyways. It was a beautiful evening. 

And the fireworks were really cool, too. Especially up on the roof!

Funny how the times have changed--here's my two nieces snapping photos of the fireworks with their iPhones. That is SO NOT what I was doing when I was watching fireworks as a kid. Ha ha ha.

And of course, one more pic of Tounces aka Shugsie aka my mama (the one that almost got slapped over the cobbler) with my sweet niece Olivia. Isn't this a great picture?

Lesson Learned: Firecracker Day is a great excuse for family and friend time.


Okay, y'all. That's all I got.

Dang, y'all. That was a long post. For those who made it all the way to this point? Congratulations on a monumental waste of your time. . . .ha ha ha. And now I will leave you with the song that's been playing on my mental iPod since watching fireworks on the roof yesterday. . . .

Any excuse to play a little bit of JT --especially when he's joined by Carol King. She's awesome, but JT always kills it. Kills it. (See, this is another bonus of being over 40 and grown. You can 'preciate such things.)



You're welcome.

***
Happy Second Blog Post of the Day! This is just for you Carol R. I miss you!

*I almost talked about palmetto-gigantosaur cockroaches again but decided my last mention was enough.