4 Hours in…Chicago

I had to stay in Chicago an extra night since my exam ended after the last flight to Tokyo.  I was really excited to see a little bit of Chicago so the next morning, I headed into the city.

I had grand ambitions of stopping in multiple shops, museums and parks but I only had four hours, so here's what I did.  I took the subway (El?) into the city from Rosemont and stopped in the Sephora for some make-up.  It was fun to try on the samples and pay American prices, although they were still high.  I left the shop and saw an old man wearing a Korea War Veteran hat.  I walked past him but decided to go back and thank him for his service.  He was sitting by himself and looked a little lonely.  He was super happy I thanked him and we talked about him, his deceased wife and Chicago.  He had a picture of his wife in his pocket.  She was "beautiful inside and out."  He also mentioned that the Chicago Cultural Center was gorgeous and had the largest Tiffany stained-glass dome in the world on the third floor.  I begged off a handwriting analysis by him, saying that I had to go and then I was off to see more of Chicago.

In three blocks, I came across the Cultural Center.  Awesome serendipity!  It was a gorgeous Beaux Art-style building with two famous domes inside.  One was the Tiffany dome, with its 38 feet diameter and 30,000 pieces of glass.  It was restored in 2008 and is in the former public library.  The other was the Healy-Millet Renaissance pattern stained-glass dome in the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall.  For those keeping track of stats at home, it is 40 feet in diameter with 50,000 pieces of glass.

An usher in the Tiffany window hall encouraged me to stay for a concert, part of the First Monday Concert Series put on by the Chicago Chamber Musicians.  Joseph Genualdi (violin) and Robert Weirich (piano) played two pieces: Violin Sonata in G Major, Op. 30 No. 3 (Beethoven) and Sonata for Violin and Piano (J. Corigliano).  I preferred the classical piece over the modern but it was pretty cool to hear a more modern composition.  After the concert, I only had one more hour in Chicago!  Time to hustle over to Millennium Park for the de rigueur photo in front of the Cloud Gate sculpture!

After admiring the Cloud Gate, Pritzker Pavillion and the Crown Fountain, I went over to the Art Institute of Chicago.  There was complimentary admission for active duty personnel, which I was happy about since I only had a short time to peek around.  

I went to the Thorne Miniature Rooms first.  They are 1 inch:1foot models of various styled interiors, mainly European and American from the 1300s-early 1900s.  The detail is exquisite.  They're the best dioramas I've ever seen!  Ok, maybe that's a little too low-brow of an impression but it was a mix of dollhouse and diorama.  The craftsmanship was very impressive.

Then, I went on a whirlwind trip through the Impressionist galleries.  They have quite a few Renoirs, including Two Sisters, which is a painting that I've often seen  a replica of in Mom and Dad's house.  Everything was beautiful and laid out in natural light galleries.  I also loved Eternal Springtime by Rodin.  It reminded me of the time I was lucky enough to see an entire gallery devoted to Rodin sculptures in Philadelphia.  Apparently once Rodin was rich enough, he hired a bunch of models to walk around in his studio and when they were in a pose he liked, that's what he would sculpt- very spontaneous, very fluid.  It is funny to think of being surrounded by a bunch of naked people walking around- like a Japanese onsen!

I wish I had more time but I felt I made pretty good use of what I had.  Then it was a rush back to the hotel after a slight subway mishap- the Loop not being connected to the main lines is very confusing…to me, at least. I got to the airport, made it through security and had a few minutes before traveling back to Japan.  The flight was EMPTY and I had a whole row to myself.  I could have had several rows to myself.  Seriously, it was amazing.  Maybe I'll try to travel on off-peak days more often.  

Landing at Narita is always a bit of a letdown since there's still about three more hours to the trip but it was so nice to be home.  After clearing customs, I headed to the Narita Express, which is only Y1500 for foreigners this year although I had to ask for the discount.  I took the NEx to Yokohama then transferred to the Keikyu line.   It was so packed, even at 10 o'clock at night!   I got off at my stop and walked in.  The apartment looked great and fortunately, no smells of forgotten garbage were in the air.  Yay, for the win!

O'Hare Area Wasteland

Ok, the O'Hare area is fine.  It's just that it still looked and felt like Winter and I was there for my oral boards.  Meanwhile in Japan, the sakura were around for about three days according to people who were here.  Then it rained and the blossoms fell off.  So ephemeral…talk amongst yourselves as I write a poem!

Ok, I'm back!  So, the Osler Review Course was held in the O'Hare area at the Holiday Inn.  I'm glad I went since I picked up a few pointers on delivery technique and it helped calm me down a little bit.  Only a little, since I was still battling my insomnia/jet lag double demons.

After the three day course, I headed over to the Marriott.  I am a Gold member, a carryover from when I spent 90 days at the Courtyard Marriott when I was at MD Anderson.  The Marriott Suites was a beautiful hotel and I rested up/studied on Saturday.

Saturday night, I slept from 10-3 and then 5-10.  My test was Sunday afternoon so I dressed up in my suit from 2001.  Hey, it got me into med school so maybe I'll have luck now?  Candidates were asked not to wear their military uniforms in order to prevent bias although from what I've heard, we're pretty obvious with our Yes Sirs/Yes Ma'ams.

The board examination was simultaneously the fastest and longest experience of my life.  Honestly, leading up to it was long but the exam went incredibly fast.  The information we were given preceding it was pretty good in terms of letting us know the format but nothing can really prepare a person for the experience.  (There was a candidate video and a presentation at the exam site.)  I think I did well, but I won't know officially until mid-June.  Apparently, the "psychometrician" needs to analyze the data.  This is a real word.  A neologism, if you will.  Maybe even a portmanteau!!  Everyone at my table immediately started discussing the similarities to Tobias' professional occupation in Arrested Development.

So, yes, there were brief moments of levity where we didn't feel like our futures were on the line.

For the First Time in Forever...

Ha, ha.  I am now on the unfortunate bandwagon of having Frozen songs stuck in my head.  But do you know what this means?  1. The 6-year old cool girl clique might accept me (wrong!  They've moved on to Sherman and Mr. Peabody!) and 2. I have time to watch movies again!  Hooray!  Boards are over!

So, yes, I watched Frozen on the way back to Japan.  I also saw Philomena and started Silver Linings Playbook but since I didn't like the book all that much, I didn't want to spend another two hours of my life on the same story.  Philomena was excellent, though.  I'm also halfway through The Secret History by Donna Tartt.  It's good, but I feel that I'm not the biggest Donna Tartt fan in the world.  Since I read in reviews that some people felt "meh" about The Goldfinch but loved her first book, I wanted to give it a try.  I'm definitely going to finish it but I'm not the biggest fan of novels that focus on the intellectual and emotional angst of New England liberal arts college students.  I already lived it, ha ha.  Another novel that falls into this category is The Marriage Plot by Jeffery Eugenides.  That, too, is a good book but not one I'd tell you to run out and get.  Actually, I'd recommend The Secret History more.

But backing up, I left on Saturday, 29 April.  I am fairly certain I missed the Sakura peak so on my way out, I took a little lame photo of a tree that was already in full-bloom.  This will not win any awards, but I didn't want to get closer and miss my bus to Narita!

A picture doesn't do it justice, ha ha.

I studied a lot on my flight and barely slept, like maybe 45 minutes.  This was a mistake.  I had the worst jet lag on this trip.  I haven't had jet lag this badly since I was a kid when we moved to Spain.  Now, I think stress insomnia had a role but it was pretty horrific.  Even the night before the test, I went to bed around 10, woke up at 3, went back to bed at 5 and slept until 10.  So, fortunately, I got enough sleep quantity-wise the night before (and the night before that) my test, but until that point, I was running on 3-5 hours of sleep a night.  My brain did not function very well.

Or…maybe I was excited because I got to see SMS for 3 days in LA! Yes!  On a government ticket, a person can take up to 7 days of "extended layover!"  It's charged as leave but I was so happy I got to see my husband!  We hung out in Newport Beach and had a great time.  He was super awesome in letting me sleep and study, although a lot of my studying was b/t midnight - 5 a.m. and sleeping was from 5-11 a.m.  (See above paragraph).

We also celebrated…my birthday!!!  I love my birthday!  I thought it was going to be a little bit of a wash this year, but SMS and I celebrated with a great dinner out at Fig & Olive in Newport Beach.  The dinner was amazingly delicious- we had oysters, steak tartare, branzino fish ("Glazed with fig & 18 year old balsamic vinegar, snow pea, fig, olive oil mashed potato-"  YUM!!!) and the Fig & Olive salad.  I swear this wasn't as much food as it sounded but it was all so delicious and wonderful.  The restaurant felt very O.C. (lots of plastic surgery) and the people watching was pretty awesome.  After dinner, we headed to Marty and Pamela's where they had bought me a birthday cake and we had a little party.  Yes!  I even had a cake with candles to blow out this year- awesome!

Also, for the record, I really do like celebrating my birthday on my birthday but this year, 31 March was an acceptable stand-in! ;)  Oooo, and you know what I just realized during this little recap?  I've been wanting to go to Fig & Olive for years!  But I only knew of the Melrose Place location.  Yay for accidental fulfillment of life (mini-)goals!

On 1 April, we had a nice morning and early afternoon together before heading out to LAX.  Then it was off to the lovely greater O'Hare airport area for my Osler Review Course and my *dun, dun, dun* BOARDS!

Holy Smokes!

So, one of my staff said that I would talk as if I were from the 1950s.  Now, this confused me because I think I curse like a modern-day sailor but what I suspect is that my Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden books from my childhood influenced the words I say when I want to swear but feel like I can't/shouldn't.

So…

Holy Smokes, I found such a delicious recipe!  It's chocolate chili and it is so amazing.  I thought I wasn't hungry tonight and I ate a bowl and a half while it was simmering.  Well, it was simmering until it was almost burning but then I added water and saved the day!  Oh my gosh, it is so savory and delicious.  I will definitely eat every last bite before I'm off to the US.  I don't have a picture because even the professional-ish picture from the cooking blog makes it look like dog food.  But it's delicious dog food!

Pretty much same old, same old.  I'm day-dreaming of the awesome reading binge I'm going to go on after the boards.  I'll finally go to the Hospital Ladies book club.  I'll play park golf with my friends and restart the Lonely Hearts supper club. [<--Two of my friends are also in the coupled-off-but-significant-other-not here demographic so we were having dinner together once a week.  Well, it happened twice.  But it was a good idea and we're going to revive it, yeah!]

I also have some pretty challenging/rewarding cases in April and the month is going to end with a week of leave so I can travel with my AWESOME PARENTS!!!!  I am so excited and the envy of all my friends.  My parents are the coolest and you can't have them because they're mine!  (And Ed's, Brady's and Joe's- I can share a little bit:)

Oh, and books I want to read follow.  Share if you have any thoughts! [I can hear my Dad, "Where are the Classics?!?!?"]

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche
The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. by Adelle Waldman
The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells by Andrew Sean Greer

Approaching the finish line!

Four more days until I travel back to the US to start the long-ish journey to my 6 April oral board certification exam.  Sagoy!  I'm going to stay in the LA area for a few days on an "extended layover" which a totally awesome concept since I get to see SMS.  On April 1 afternoon, I'll head to Chicago to start my 3-day review course the next day.  I am excited for the practice and final consolidation of my studies and ability to present them in a clear, logical, correct fashion.  I have a day "off" on the 5th and then my exam is on the 6th.  The next day, I'll have a bit of time in Chicago before I head back to Japan, probably totally nerve-wracked!  I won't get my results for 9 weeks, wah! [Oh, I realize that posting full itineraries on the internet isn't the smartest but no one really know where I live to break-in and steal my stuff, plus I live in a secured apartment building.  And if a robber tried to come in the middle of the day (um, what robber would do that?), Yamaguchi-san would probably kick their a** given the aggressiveness of her pursuit of bad garbage sorters!  Yamaguchi-san is the little old lady- really, she's very little and pretty old- who supervises the building.]

I'm looking forward to the boards being over although I did manage to run a race this weekend and go to Church, where I sat with the lovely Cragin family.  On Saturday, I ran the Anchors Aweigh half marathon.  I felt alright during the race apart from a brief wall-like feeling at mile 9.  Oh yeah, at the end I thought I was at the finish line but I didn't realize there was a 1/3 mile loop to complete.  Argh.  I had already started my kick and that did not feel awesome to keep it going for longer but that's what I get for trying to pass people at the very end (because I am competitive!).  I ended up coming in at 1:46:48, which is respectable enough.  I'd love to train more so that I could keep that pace up for a whole marathon since 3:40 is what is needed for Boston, but I'm not super bitten by the long-distance bug right now so I might keep my long runs around the 10-12 mile mark for now.  Granted, before the race, I hadn't ran very far at all- one six mile run and one twelve mile run with a few stretching breaks.  Eh, we'll see how my motivation holds up as the humid, hot Japanese Summer approaches. [<-- That sounds promising.]

Ok, back to studying!  I have such big reading (for fun!) and TV/movie plans when this is all over.  I cannot wait!

Update from Japan!

Hey-o!  What is up?  Not too much is happening here in Japan.  Clinic and OR continue to go well although still maintaining the slow pace of a non-MTF (military treatment facility, aka a big hospital).  Clinic is a funny mix between patients who really need an ENT and patients that need a shrink.  Kidding!  Although there are definitely some consults I'm tired of seeing.  The TMJ as ear pain is getting a little old.  Too many people are stressed out and grinding their teeth!

I'm leaving next Saturday to start the trek towards my oral boards.  I'm landing in LAX and having an "extended layover" where I get to take a few days of leave and hang out in the Los Angeles area, aka hang out with SMS!  Although I'll be a little more stressed than normal, it's nice to get a free trip to see him!  This year has been pretty good since we've seen each other at least every six weeks but both of us are excited for him to make it to Japan for good (well, at least until Summer 2015 when we're both out of here!).

After a few days in LA, I head to Chicago for a three-day review course.  Then it's a change of hotels to the exam venue.  Well, I'm actually staying in a Marriott across the street since I don't want to run into any examiners.  Plus, I'm still a gold-status Marriott member, which is a carry-over from my 90-day stay during my MD Anderson rotation.  So, I get to hang out in the lounge like the VIP I am (kidding).  My exam is Sunday afternoon over at the Westin and then I will be done!  No more studying for the entire rest of the month!

I extended my ticket so I don't leave until Monday afternoon.  I'm planning on heading into Chicago to Millennium Park and the Art Museum.  I don't have a lot of time but those two things should be pretty cool.

Ok, off to study head and neck cancer!  Such an upper before bed!

Why I run...

I really like the smiley, pointy-finger man vs the cloud's reaction.  Link

 Ha, ha.  I went for a 12 mile run today with some nice ladies, two of whom I met at the Run for the Cure (where I was the Grand Prize winner!)

Me at the Run for the Cure. Metaphorically speaking.  Link

No hippo-name calling today!  It was a great run on a beautiful morning.  We stopped a few times to reassemble the group, but I was happy with the run since I just wanted to get the miles in.  I signed up for the base half marathon next weekend and I hadn't run anything longer than six miles in awhile.  While running, I learned that I have no excuse to be a quitter next weekend since one of the woman's husband is running with a broken rib.  Man of Steel!  Well, not exactly since he broke a rib but at least in spirit!

And I took a dip in the onset tub after the run.  So awesome.  While my SoCal water conserving soul will return in SD, for now I'll revel in living in place with no water shortage, inside or out (see my view?).