Hello. It's Me.

2015. I give it 8.5 stars. Apparently so good that I didn't feel the need to post at all. I lived in North Carolina for a year and experienced autumn for the first time since undergrad (which was not actually a few years ago any more). NC honestly has a kick-ass fall, and I would look into it if you could. They also have an awesome Chapel Hill Toffee that I recommend you pick up at Southern Seasons kitchen store. Look, just call me, I know the good places. Trust. I met some very important people there. A highly curated group of keepers. At least one I would go to jail for. I will be going back to NC, either having a home or just moving there. It’s fucking delightful.

I got rid of some excess baggage in the form of a penis. I think we’re all glad that episode is over and that I’ve finally had the opportunity to smash ugly ceramic vases. Also I’d like to thank my girl, TSwift for being there for me with the smashing. I guess that’s all I have to say about those 2.5 years? What the hell? Classy.

I also did some legit traveling. I visited Brussels, Bruges and Ghent briefly in Belgium. The chocolate and beer is killer. The French fries were disappointing. I’ll take Pommes Frites or Chik-Fil-A waffle styles any day. Bruges is adorable, like little gingerbread fairy tale houses and flowers and also there’s a little bit of chocolate. Brussels has amazing quiches right off the main road and hardcore partiers. We had a little bit of fun that night. Then we traveled by train to Amsterdam, Prague and Krakow. I drew the short straw and had to sleep in the dorm section of the overnight train, where everyone was 17 and looking to party and get fucked up. My friends were in the air conditioned section with larger beds, and discovering they a muffin delivery in the morning was… the last straw… accidental pun and it stays. I also didn’t have cash and apparently had a language barrier disaster in which I was told I had a train ticket, only to find out at 1 am that it’s just a reservation and not the actual ticket. Thank God we didn’t get kicked out in Germany, because that town was hideous. Oh also Warsaw is not Worzclo. Two different cities, unfortunately...I’ve been to Amsterdam before, but I will have a second home there. I guess I need to start collecting donations for all these homes I need. But Amsterdam is just so cool. It’s a great intersection of art and music and innovation and it always feels so exciting being there.

Prague had stellar architecture and history and my favorite synogogue. Also the beer spa was awkward hoppy nakedness, but I kind of dug it. I adored Krakow, I think because I didn’t know much about it and it was the underdog. First, does everyone know about pierogis? DOES EVERYONE KNOW ABOUT PIEROGIS? Ok now you do. Go eat some! Shout out to LTWJ for introducing me back in the day. I love dumplings, but man, the Polish know their dumplings. I also went to Auschwitz, which was intense and disgusting, but I’m glad I went. That’s all I want to say about that, but I do recommend going. The scariest thing is that it happened a few years ago. Ok I guess I had that one last thing to say. People are sick. Ok I’m done. Krakow has a great bazaar market place deal. I brought home far too many Russian dolls and a sheepskin rug. I could pick objects that are easier to carry or less susceptible to getting confiscated in customs, but I like to do my own thing. The Krakow salt mines are killer, and yes, thank you Alex, for forcing us to go. I guess you could say that was a trip of a lifetime. Cue “Don’t you forget about me” and fist pump into the air.

Oh man I also went to Nashville. I sure love my college roommates. They all have babies now, and for some reason their kids are extra cute... Went to Austin for my lovie's bachelorette, watched her get married to another very excellent person in CT...Wedding in Mt. Pleasant, TX, which is indeed a real place. I'm definitely yada yada yada-ing through my year, but even a celebrity like me needs a little mystique.

I live in Ft. Worth now and started my life as a “real life” doctor outside of training, It’s cute here and beagle likes it, and that’s my only criteria these days. I’ve also discovered how much I like hanging out by myself. Like, I’m pretty entertaining.  Just put a little wine in my glass, a little samba in my ears, and Beagle and I have a dance party going for the night. She turned 11 this, year, and though that doesn’t mean she’s 77 like everyone thinks, because the dog year plateaus after a certain point, she is no longer a spring chicken. She’s still excellent, however, and people still point at her and say “Look at that puppy!” She would get carded occasionally at the grocery store.  I adore her, and she adores me as evidenced by her little nose snuggles in my neck.

My parents and my sister came for Christmas, since I was on call. It was lovely and simple and I had fun hosting them at my own place. My mom only moved a few objects around, but no large scale redecorating to “just help me out” was done. It truly was a Jewish Christmas miracle.

May your 2016 be brighter than your 2015 and devoid of Trumps!

Xoxo,
Dapper Doctor

UNC Crew

Wine and Cheese Party (aka Vieux Carré Party)

Lindsay's Boulder Deli (pretty self-explanatory)

Hi, NC winter

Winston, chill out. 

Bagel loves Springtime

S'mores bonfire

#standard

#alsostandard

My NC pad

<3 br="">

NYC <3 br="">

UNC Graduation

NC winter in full effect

Austin hipsters

Bagel helps me learn.

Bagel helps me travel.

Bruges, Belgium

I may have mentioned chocolate, Belgium

Amsterdam in front of the Rijksmuseum

Amsterdam people watching in the park

Just a little Dutch canal ride

Accidental amazing view of Prague

Jewish cemetery in Prague

Gothic architecture in Prague

Jewish synagogue, Prague

Little Havana/Prague

Krakow Cloth Hall

Krakow Castle

Warsaw for a hot second

New Fort Worth pad

At least Winston's happy

New fav pillow

Jeanette does tables right even away from home

M and D killin' it

Rita + sister = good times, great oldies

Hi Lil' T!

Zoey contemplates our purpose in this world/ 

how she can beagle her way into the pantry

The snuggle is real

Movin on up!

It has been awhile, I know, but I have been a wee busy lately. My last blog started out that way too. Seems to be a theme. So to pick up from where we last left off, said boy had been living with me in what I thought was peaceful harmony, and one day out of the blue, he broke up with me. The night before we had an argument about how I felt like I took care of him more than he did for me, and the next morning he said he wanted out. He didn’t want to talk about it, he just was done with me, and he was moving his stuff out that night. I went to work bawling, somehow did not have patients scheduled for that morning, went for a run and packed my bags for my trip to California. I sat down at one point and felt physical chest pain, and I could actually feel my heart breaking. I had never felt that before, and I never hope to again.

The next day I was headed to Stanford for the last interview on my ridiculous whirlwind tour of 12 different U.S. cities in 3 months. Within that time, I saw my darlings in NYC, including my hilarious sister, an old friend from childhood, my girlfriends from college, and my Tony-nominated best friend on her Broadway show. I got on the plane, picked up my rental car in San Francisco, bawled a good part of the way, said, “Pull it together, Davis,” somehow was charming and delightful on my interview, then drove to Napa. I can tell you one of the best solutions to a break up is a classic Napa wine tour. You are allowed to drink as much as you want, everyone tells you how pretty and strong you are, and you get to catch up with seriously funny friends (if they happen to live there). I just don’t recommend you see the friend interact with the BEST husband in the world, because that just doesn’t make the greatest case for being single. Ok fine, it was worth it.

            Two days later, the boy tells me he made the biggest mistake of his life, will I please take him back, I am his everything.  Then December 17 hits, and I am eagerly awaiting my match results for my glaucoma fellowship.  (Medicine has this absurd system like fraternities where you rank your top choices, they rank you, and a computer algorithm conveniently determines your future.) I pull up the website, logon, and see where I’ve matched. “Lindsay Davis: no match.” I reload the page, as clearly this is a mistake. Still the same perplexing message. After I come to my senses, I realize after my whole interview season that I don’t have a job. The next day was a “scramble” period, when you basically just cold call all of the positions left unfilled. There was one position for glaucoma left in Ohio. That was it. I call them and booked a trip for Columbus. Then I hear of one that was not listed but unfilled in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. I start emailing my CV and calling, meanwhile I am operating every day Monday-Thursday of this week. Friday comes, and finally I feel a sense of relief. I am leaving lunch on my way to my clinic’s Christmas party, when some SUV T-bones me. You can see why it’s been awhile since I’ve written. My wrist was sprained, my chest bruised from the seatbelt, and my car totaled, but I’m alive, and it could have been much, much worse. Could’ve been better if she had insurance, but eh, details. Thank God for my dad who donated his car to me. Ugh I love my people.

            I wrote that in February, and now it’s July. I wanted to end it on a high note, but I was exhausted just recapping my past few months that it never came to fruition. I am now living in Chapel Hill, NC, and I got the aforementioned sweet job that I was hoping for. When I came for my interview here, my bosses were incredibly nice and kept making comments like, “when you come here,” and “you can adjust that if you want when you’re here,” so I was getting a pretty solid vibe. My boyfriend (yes, he’s back to that designation) just helped me move for 3 exhausting days in a 16-foot Penske truck with my car towed behind it. We had been rocky since D-day, as I like to call it, but I think the boy really likes me and was just having doubts. We all do, but especially boys, since they smell and have cooties, so it’s hard for them to be mature like us ladies.

            Oh I also graduated from residency, which was a beautiful ceremony. My new program director was amazing and talked about all of us individually from childhood to the present without any notes, and it was so great seeing everyone we had worked with over the past 3 years. I will miss my amazing co-workers. As rough as residency was, I would not trade working with these people. I got a new little family, and I am so lucky I became such good friends with my pretty co-lady surgeon.

Back to the trip: James did so much work packing me up, driving through the Smokey mountains and through small Goodwill parking lots in that beast truck/car combo, unpacking, and being all around a good boy that he certainly gets brownie points. That’s not to say I don’t use the break-up card whenever I want to definitively win an argument, because I do. Oh, I do.  And I stopped into East Texas to visit with my lovely med school friend at her parents’ home and into Nashville to see my boo from college, her husband and her cutie baby. Even though it was a ridiculous trip (Google said it would take 22 hours; it took 32), I’m glad I got to catch up with those ladies and have some quiet time with James and my baby beagle Zoey.  She’s 9 now, but she is still my baby beagle.

            My first day on the job was Monday, staffing residents, had electronic medical record training Tuesday and Wednesday all day (short and sweet: I miss paper charting, EMR is probably worse for patient care, but I won’t get into the politics), and had my first day in the operating room today. My bosses did the surgeries, thankfully, because I was nervous about just learning how to use the operating microscope and where my locker was. The day went well, and people seem to be very laid-back here. Granted, I wasn’t operating, so there were no bosses yelling at me to do something different, but I think it’s a good sign. I’m excited for the year, AND I learned I’m not on call on the weekends, just Monday through Friday. Yeah I know that’s gross, but it shouldn’t be too bad for glaucoma call. Knock on wood.

            I’d like to take this opportunity to talk about Chapel Hill. It’s a cute town in the “Triangle,” which consists of CH, Raleigh and Durham. Apparently there are more PhDs per capita here than anywhere else in the U.S. The people are crazy nice, and I keep resisting the urge to ask what they really want from me. Unsolicited but sweet advice on buying crabapple versus black raspberry jelly? How much do you want, lady? There is this amazing store called Southern Seasons that’s like Sur la Table + Central Market + local farmer’s market, and it’s basically my Disneyland. There are delicious cheeses, beautiful local flowers, lots of wine and Chapel Hill Toffee, legit table settings and my favorite, miscellaneous kitchen tools. I… have a problem. I went in saying I wasn’t going to get a shopping basket, then ok, I’ll get a basket, then, well the wine is on sale, I might as well get a cart.

            People keep saying this is a foodie town, and so far, I agree on the grocery, organic, and farmer’s market part, but I haven’t been totally impressed with the restaurants. We went to one place called Acme in the hippy section of town, which had really nice well-cooked fish (I’m a stickler for overcooked fish), and great fried green tomatoes, but some of the dishes had too much cheese & bacon for my taste. Maybe it’s a Southern thing. Plus the inside was a little kitschy for what is considered a nice restaurant. We went to another place called Elaine’s, which was actually very good, appetizers being better than the entrees, but just too expensive for what you get. It is there I learned I don’t like getting whole fish: too much work, and too much risk of getting tiny bones jammed in your esophagus. James said I should start food blogging, but considering it’s been over a year since my last blog, I have a feeling we all know how that’s going to go down. For now, I will stick with my at-home cooking, featured above. Pesto pasta, kale and beet salad (ok the beets are from Southern Seasons, but the feta is all mine).

            I think 3 pages of material out to do it to summarize my year. If you’ve made it this far, congrats on staying completely up-to-date with Dr. D, and I hope you’ve been at least mildly entertained.

¡Mil besos!

~dapper doctor

Springtime at the Pecan Treehouse

Roses from my garden to your internet device

Hello, old friend. It seems to have been a long time since I last wrote, but a few things have happened since we last met. I finished my big ophthalmology exam, which is 5 hours long and tests you over everything about the eye. If there was a small word in one of our 13 encyclopedia-like textbooks, it could be on there. I just wrote a whole diatribe about the ridiculousness of standardized tests, but I erased it to spare my audience.  Let's just say, I'd rather have a doctor who knows the potential complications of a surgery than who knows which chromosome is associated with Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome. You can look it up, but seriously it's rare, and clinically not useful.

Today I heard the full version of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and it rocked me to the core. You mean to tell me there's a whole 2 verses I have never heard? Just when you thought you knew everything.  The other day I learned the Righteous Brothers were white. Same feelings.

I had my "first" cataract case today, which basically means I was doing the case as the primary surgeon, not just someone who drops saline on a cornea. Everything was going well, I made my corneal incision (to which my boss actually said "I hate that," but I digress), and made my tear in the lens capsule, which is a sort of thin protective bag over the lens. The most tricky part is the capsulorrhexis, when you make a circular hole in the bag, and try not to let it rip. If it rips, it's a whole set up for potential eyeball disaster, so you try to avoid... So I made my tear, made my curvilinear hole, and suddenly the patient coughs. He seriously coughed right there. The delicate little bag ripped, and my boss took it from there... Everything went fine after lots of finagling, but that was not exactly how I wanted it to go.

Oh also something else happened. I found a boy, and I fell in love. He's lovely and divine, and Zoey adores him.  I never really believed people when they said they were in love. I am fairly certain I have been in love before, but I never felt I could possibly like someone enough to spend the rest of my life with him. I always thought that two people just wanted to be married, and they found someone that they could tolerate, and it was the right time, and then they made babies. I hadn't ever felt like this. I just like him a lot a lot.  And now he's moving in with me, and I have no problem with that. I got a bit shocked when he talked about moving his clothes into my walk-in closet, but now I have a small area picked out in there for his things. He just needs a little corner. So I'm really excited about the things we're going to do with each other. Physically and also physically. I mean life things. He's gonna teach me about bitcoins and sanding a boat, and I'm gonna teach him about beagles, rose gardening and baking.

That might be it for right now. I'm thinking about making dinner. And I probably deserve a glass of wine for not personally butchering my first cataract. I'm calling it a success! Kiss kiss.

Keep Calm and Call Me Maybe

I just finished my last weekend call for awhile, and I have to say I'm feeling pretty good about it. I get to pass this damn call baton off to the new first years, and I'm practically throwing it at them. There is nothing I like less than being called in at 3am to see a drunk smelly guy who just smashed his head and broke his orbital bones on a steering wheel because he was driving it. It doesn't exactly make you feel warm and fuzzy about what you're doing. Then you get the veterans, who can take anything, because, shit, they've seen war. So maybe they've been hanging out with a retinal detachment for the past few weeks, no big deal.  And then they thank you and tell you you're pretty. Isn't that all you can ask for in life?

Speaking of pretty, these are some of my favorite people in the world. I hope you don't mind me exposing you to the internet. You're wearing clothes; you're welcome.  So the lil lady on the right got herself married last month, and I have to say she really rocked that wedding dress. The rehearsal dinner was at the Cleveland Skating Club (yess!) and the wedding was at the courthouse, which sounds kind of lame until you go there, and you realize it's amazing. I guess I've never been to a courthouse before, but this was marbly and beautiful. They had a lovely mitzvah ceremony, and I have to say, it almost made me want to consider possibly getting close to the idea of marriage one day.  Right now I'm having fun dating douchebags for the time being.  You don't have to worry about getting involved, because you really don't want to. I had fun with these girls.  Some quality people right there. If they weren't all already Mrses. I would highly recommend them.  Please come to Texas again. I will feed you BBQ and queso, and you need to buy some damn boots. 

Speaking of wearing clothes (smooth transition, Ace), this is when the patient looks at the note and says, "Do not read out loud. Oh you just want me to say yes or no?"

This is when you happen to look at the ER waiting list and say, "Neat, I'm not sleeping tonight."

This is what you make yourself after you've been up from 3-5am and can't fall back asleep. And you happen to be superwoman. 

This is your view coming out of said hospital at 6am. Thank goodness I have a ridiculous schedule, or I would have missed this.  And thank goodness I get a break for awhile.  What a nutty year. I hope to be more sane and less exhausted and more smiley and more smarter this time next year. Thank you for sticking through this with me, and thank you for making me stick through it. Present this coupon for a free eye exam! (Disposable) sunglasses included.

Xoxo,

Dapper Girl