Christmas Break

After a long and busy semester, I am finally enjoying a much needed break. Michael and I left South Bend early enough to stop by Tulsa and check out the campus. Quite a bit has changed. The Caf is no longer the Caf and has been completely remodeled along with "the fishbowl", which is now "the garage". The road between Kep and ACAC is gone and has been replaced by a large plaza and two new engineering buildings. However, the most exciting change was the new plaque in the lower atrium of Kep featuring a nameplate for yours truly.

We were able to see several professors and catch up with Ron and Charlie at the Wesley. The whole experience was bittersweet, because it reminded me of all the fun I had, but also made me feel a bit more unhappy with my current graduate school experience.

Home also had changed quite a bit. The floor in the family room, which for the past few years has been concrete, had finally been covered in hardwood. Also, the carpet throughout the house had been replaced. The last new change was a new couch.

The Christmas tree experience was a bit different this year as well. Usually we cut our own, but between a drought and a hail storm, the Oklahoma trees were a bit sad and so we had to buy one imported from West Virginia.

Christmas morning was nice. I received some really neat gifts. Michael got me quite a few neat things, including a magnetic pendulum, a box of liquors in chocolate bottles, tasting plates and forks, and a lab beaker mug to name a few. My favorite present was from my parents and was an autographed cookbook from Alton Brown.

The week after Christmas, we went out to a local restaurant in Edmond called Italian Jim's. The concept is a pizzeria attached to a glassblowing studio. It was really fun to watch them make the glass while waiting for our food. The pizza we ordered was the Super Pepperoni, which was a solid layer of overlapping pepperonis. Amazing!

Conferences

This was a semester of conferences. My first one was in October. It was the Biomedical Engineering Society meeting in Hartford, CT, where I presented a poster on the HealthWorks! exhibit. The second conference was the American Heart Association scientific sessions in Orlando, FL. The conference had about 22,000 attendees with a rather large career fair featuring all the major drug companies. Their booths were extremely posh and most featured catering with everything from smoothies to fresh baked cobbler. The best part about the conference was our dinner at The Oceanaire where I had a wonderful swordfish steak.

Two days after getting back from the AHA conference, I was off the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics meeting in Baltimore, MD, where I gave my first conference presentation. The conference proved to be interesting and useful. I met a girl from Canada who was working to build a flow loop similar to mine and she had been struggling with some of the same issues as myself, which made me feel better since I wasn't alone. I also had a really great dinner with two of Dr. Paolucci's Italian students, two of their Italian professor friends, and a recently graduated student of Dr. Powers at Luna del Sea.

While going to conference was fun and really good for my sky miles account, I hope never to do 3 in the same semester again.

2 AM Ideas: Homebrewing

When I was back in middle school, my father received a gift of a home brew kit where you would let your let your beer ferment in a big bag. At the end of the fermentation time, you would drink the beer using the spigot at the bottom of the bag. I don't remember anything about prepping the mash. The only thing I remember was the bag being placed in our downstairs bathroom so it wouldn't be disturbed and then watching it slowing inflate. The beer was disgusting (and not just to my ~12 year old palate) and my dad dumped in over the edge of the porch, which killed the grass in our backyard. I am now 25 and, while I do enjoy alcoholic beverages, I have never been much of a beer drinker. I prefer the fruity and sweet drinks more. However, I do like hard cider and other fruit beers.

So when I couldn't sleep last night, I got on the computer and started pursuing my favorite website, ThinkGeek. One of the products I have been eying for awhile is the DIY Juice to Alcohol Kit. The idea of turning my favorite juices into spiked drinks seemed quite fascinating and easy. Then, I remembered hearing a bunch of my friends from TU talk about enjoying the home brewing process and thought that maybe I would enjoy beer more if I was able to craft it to my likes (which would probably have most beer connoisseurs turning their noses up). After looking at a couple other sites I frequent which have wine and beer making kits, I decided that I wanted to give hard cider making a shot. I am an impatient person (I know, not a good quality in a brewer), so I searched for a local store where I could purchase the necessary equipment rather than wait 3 days for Amazon. Luckily, I found the Quality Wine and Ale Supply in Elkhart, IN. The store was small, but well stocked. The staff were really friendly and helpful. I really appreciated that they did not sell me more than I needed. I had originally walked in and asked about the wine kits, which were about $80, but after I told them my plans, they suggested the $45 kit. They also didn't try to sell me bottles and just said that I should wait until I know if my cider worked or not. When I mentioned my friends did their own brewing, they took me back into the stock room to show me all of the brews and wines they had going.

So, today I started my cider. The clerks at the store gave me three different yeasts to try (one for each gallon I was making). I can't wait to hear the popping of the gases escaping through the airlock. I am sure there will be many more updates to come.

Happy Birthday!

Sunday was my birthday and it was really good, because I did not spend it in the lab. And, yes, there was a possibility of that happening. The Wednesday before my birthday, I was going over the data I had spent the last 5 weeks collecting, only to discover that it was mostly trash, which meant I had two weeks to try to get data for my conference presentation. My goal was to complete four valves, which really means 8 different configurations and each configuration had 6 different experimental conditions to be tested. I had the additional constraint that, due to a home game, I would not be able to come in on Saturday if I was unable to finish before the weekend. I ended up in the lab until 10:30 pm Thursday collecting data. I came in by 8:30 am on Friday carrying breakfast to start readings. I spend the rest of the day in the lab getting data. I hit a snag around 7 pm when the battery that runs my pump died and I had to wait for Michael to finish Taekwondo before I could go to the store.

I have a rule: I don't like to eat more than one meal on campus a day in order to maintain my sanity. On Friday, I ate breakfast, lunch and dinner in the lab. And, yes, I was being a bad girl and eating in the lab, but I didn't want to be in the lab on my birthday. After spending the waking hours of two days in the lab, I was exhausted for the entire weekend. Elaine and Alex came over for dinner and games on Saturday to celebrate. On Sunday, I woke up and Michael gave me my birthday presents. The first was beautiful pair of earrings from his Mom and sister. The second was a small Luminglass which I have brought into my office to adorn my desk. The next present was given to me with the instructions not to shake or turn it upside down which made me start to wonder if he had given me an Etch-A-Sketch. However, it was one dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Apparently the one of the presents he had planned hadn't been put in the box before it was shipped from the warehouse.

I didn't find out until today what the final gift was. When I came home, there was a pillow shaped package at my door. I thought I knew what he got me, since one of the items on my ThinkGeek wishlist was a light up pillow. However, it turned out to be Spock's bathrobe, thus ending my search for a second bathrobe.

Thank you everyone!

I am running out of names.

We found a new ferret to keep Pandora company, but I do not know what to call her.  Any ideas out there?

RIP Nova

Today was a sad day. Around dinner, Michael went to let the ferrets out, but found Nova curled up dead. We don't know what caused her death. She had not been out of the cage for several days, so I know she didn't eat something funny. She was also only 2.5 years old, which is rather young for ferrets to start having health issues such as cancer, which is a common cause of death in ferrets.

I will really miss her. It was fun to watch her try to steal things, big and small. It was annoying to have to poke her with a broomstick when she would chew on the back on the couch. She was sweet and never would bite even when she got excited. I hope I can find a companion for Pandora that is just a sweet.

Adventures in Pasta Making: Part 2

Today was the next great step in my pasta making experience: RAVIOLI! Michael made a basic egg pasta recipe while I prepared the filling. It was a Ricotta and Parmesan cheese mix with some balsamic vinegar. After rolling out the dough, I used my Kitchen Aid Ravioli attachment to stuff the raviolis. While some of the reviews on Amazon for this product were less than stellar, I found the experience to be quite easy and fun. Normally you are supposed to let the ravioli dry and then tear along the perforations. However, I was impatient so Michael used a knife to score the edges and separate them. They cooked for about 5 minutes in boiling water and then we ate. I still cannot get over how much better fresh pasta tastes. I can't wait to try this again, only now that I know what I am doing, I plan to try some more interesting fillings.

Cooking Class

Last night, Michael and I attended the ND Cooking Class: Great Desserts. The class is taught by the executive chef Donald Miller from Notre Dame Food Services in their test kitchen. The desserts taught were New Orleans bread pudding with Whiskey sauce, chocolate mousse, and Salzburger Nockerl. The class involved Chef Miller demonstrating how to make the dish and then each team would go back to their station and make it. The first dessert was the bread pudding.

Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce

Milk - 11 oz.

Cubed day old bread - 2 oz.

Beaten Egg - 1

Granulated Sugar - 1 oz.

Lite Brown Sugar - 2oz.

Vanilla Extract - 1.5 tsp

Ground Cinnamon - 1 tsp

Ground Nutmeg - 1/4 tsp

Unsalted Butter - 1.5 oz

Raisins or any other dried fruit - 1 oz.

1) Preheat oven to 350 F.

2) Bring milk to a simmer.

3) Mix egg and vanilla in bowl.

4) Combine sugar and spices in a second bowl.

5) Mix sugar and spice into egg mixture.

6) Slowly add milk.

7) Add raisins or dried fruit and bread to liquid mixture.

8) Pour into pan and bake for an hour.

Unsalted Butter - 2 oz.

Confectioners Sugar - 2 oz.

Egg - 1

Bourbon - 2 oz.

1) Melt Butter over low heat.

2) Whisk in sugar until thick.

3) Beat egg is separate bowl and slowly add egg sugar mixture.

4) Whisk in bourbon slowly.

5) Serve over warm bread pudding.

Next we made the chocolate mousse. This is the real stuff, not the chocolate pudding mix added to whipped cream.

Chocolate Mousse

Bittersweet chocolate (64% cocoa) - 9 oz.

Unsalted butter - 2 oz.

Heavy Cream - 12 oz.

Whole Eggs - 3

Egg Yolk - 1

Water - 1 fl. oz.

Granulated sugar - 4 oz.

1) Melt chocolate. Do not heat over 125 F.

2) Whip heavy cream and set aside.

3) Whip eggs, egg yolk, water, sugar over double boiler until mixture reaches 165 F. If no thermometer is available the mixture will become thick and whisk will start to track.

Bombe mixture from step 3.

4) Transfer mixture to mixer and whip until cooled.

5) Rewarm chocolate mixture and add butter.

6) Fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into chocolate mixture.

7) Add cooled egg mixture to the chocolate.

8) Fold in remainder of the whipped cream.

9) Divide into serving dishes and chill before serving.

Finally, we ended by making Salzburger Nockerl, an Austrian dish, named because it is served so that it looks like the mountains surrounding the city of Salzburger.

Salzburger Nockerl

Softened Butter - 1/4 c.

Eggs, separated - 5

Granulated Sugar - 5 Tbsp

Milk - 2 Tbsp

All-Purpose Flour - 1/2 c.

1) Preheat oven to 450 F.

2) Cream butter and sugar until the mix turns white.

3) Add egg yolks until light and fluffy.

4) Fold in flour.

5) Whip egg whites until stiff and then fold into butter mix.

6) Warm milk and add to mix.

7) Pipe onto baking sheet or spoon into muffin tins. Reduce oven to 400 F and bake for 6 to 8 minutes until golden.

7) Dust with powdered sugar. Additional garnish of raspberry sauce is also recommended.

Overall, it was a long but filling evening, leaving me with three new recipes. I will probably make all of them again but with some slight changes. First, I would add more bread to the bread pudding since I like it more firm and not so soggy. I also would play around with the type of liquor in the sauce. The chocolate mousse is heavenly, but I am a big fan of mint so I would probably add that into the recipe. I also would possibly use the bombe mixture (that foamy egg and sugar mixture) to make another flavor mousse that could taste good layered with chocolate. Finally, for the Salzburger dish, I would add some vanilla and possibly some other spices to the recipe so it does not taste so plain and eggy.

Yum!

Adventures in Pasta Making: Part 1

Earlier this summer, I spent the day making some really awesome pasta sauce from a family recipe of Nick DeLucca. It was so good that I really wanted some special pasta to go with it. I am always hearing about how tasty homemade pasta is, so I decided to try it. I didn't have any fancy equipment, so I made it the old fashioned way: rolling it out by hand. Of course I don't have the patience or stamina to make my dough really thin. And since I cut the pasta by hand it was a bit irregular in shape. Despite the fact that it was a bit large it was very good. So the next thing I knew, Michael had purchased the Pasta Excellence Set for my Kitchen Aid. The first time using it was for our monthly grad student get together where I made chicken and dumplings. It was so easy to roll out the dough to the perfect thickness. In fact, this was the first time I was able to make the recipe so that I enjoyed it as much as when my dad makes it.

Before my next attempt at making pasta, I decided that I needed a real pasta drying rack. I purchased a wood base and some dowels from Lowes. With Michael's help, I drilled holes through the largest dowel and slid the smaller ones through. The holes were tight enough that I did not need to do anything to secure the through rods. Then I stained it and finished it off with a coat of polyurethane.

To test my new rack, I made spinach pasta. I used the angel hair cutter from the set to make the pasta. It did not work as well as I would have liked, and a lot of the pasta stuck together or fell apart. I don't think the problem was with the pasta roller or cutter, but with the recipe. I also need some more practice with dough I am confident about with the pasta set before I start playing with the recipe. However, it still turned out pretty tasty. My next adventure will be with a simple dough, but I will be trying out the ravioli stuffer.

Parrots: the main meat export of Canada

Yesterday, Michael and I drove home. The border was busy and we spent a little over an hour waiting on one side of the bridge, then on the bridge and finally in line for a border agent. While waiting I noticed this sign.

It reads: Declare all fruits, vegetables, plants and meats. Under the text are some cartoon fruits and plants and one very clear parrot. The only category I can see it fit into is meat. I did not realize Canada was know for its exportation of fine parrot meat.

Also, the two parakeets seem to have recovered from there playdate with the cats.

Growing up sometimes isn't fun.

Every year of my childhood and almost every year of my young adulthood, I have made the annual trek to Still Waters or as the American side of the family calls it "The Island". Everyone from my mother's side of the family comes. My grandparents, my mom's older brother and his family, her younger brother, and us. There were four of us kids, my brother and me as well as our cousins Alexander and Andrew.

We were all cut off from society for the duration of our stay. There is no indoor plumbing other than a kitchen sink, no heat other than a fireplace, no AC other than some fans, no cell, TV or internet either. It was a week to unplug. We would spend the week we were there in our bathing suits playing down at the boathouse both in and out of the water. At lunch, the grownups would bring down a picnic of hot dogs, mac and cheese, chips, and juice. We would pause to eat and then resume our play. Once it got dark, we would come inside and either play hours of monopoly or some other board game or read. Dinner was called by a huge cast iron bell and the adults would gather around the big table and us kids around a smaller table. Sometimes, we would all pile in the boat and take the two hour water ride to Port Carling where we would go through the locks.

I never was a fan of lake water. I don't like the bottom with all the squishy plants and slime covered logs, so as I got older and the water play took everyone out of the bay and further into the lake I started spending time up at the cottage reading. Another benefit of growing up was that I had more control over my snacking and I didn't have to be constantly asking for permission to eat some chips close to dinner time. At the same time, we became too big to pile into the small sailing motor boat to take long excursions onto Lake Joe. Lunch meals became less and less organized with everyone fending for themselves. Less time was spent at the boathouse and more time indoors, or in my cousin's case sunning himself on the big dock and turning into a beet.

The cottage began to shrink. Suddenly, all of us kids were no longer small, but full sized adults bringing significant others. Sleeping surfaces had always been scant and we began to spill out onto the floor. As the only girl in the family, I was fortunate enough to be given my own room. Several years ago a cell tower was built in range of the island and last year internet arrived, although we still have to pee in the woods.

Don't get me wrong, I still love the place, but it has lost some of its magic that I loved so much as a kid. I am torn between wanting to completely unplug and also wanting to keep connected with the world. This last trip my Mom wasn't able to come because of her new job. She was always in the water no matter how cold or cloudy it was and she was the only one to every be able to get me to get in the water and go swimming either to Bass Rock or around the island. So this year I didn't swim.

I think there are times in our lives where we suddenly realize that we are not longer children and that we have left that world for another. I think a lot of people experience this when they go home for the first time after they graduate from college and start first job. I know I felt this a couple of Christmas breaks, but it never felt so strong because I move around so much that I didn't have memories of my childhood in that house. This year however, I really felt the changes and it made me sad.

Border Patrol

I have been vacationing in Canada almost every year of my life. Usually, crossing the border, especially into Canada, is quite easy. The border guards want to know where you are from, where you are going, and for how long. Sometimes it isn't so easy and you are asked to pull over and they inspect your car, but this is usually on the way back into the US. This time was a new experience for me. We pulled up to the gate and handed over our passports.


Guard: Citizenship?
Michael: US
Guard: What is your license plate number?
Micheal: I don't really remember, I just got new tags.

So the guard gets out of his little box and checks.

Guard: Where are you headed?
Michael: Muskoka lake country.
Guard: Why there?
Michael: Her family has some property up there. We're going there for a vacation.
Guard: What is the purpose of the visit?
Michael: Vacation.
Guard: How long is your trip?
Michael: About a week.

Guard: Have you ever been arrested?
Michael: No. ( I shook my head in reply.)
Guard: What is your occupation?
Michael: We're graduate students.
Guard: What are you studying?
Michael: Mechanical Engineering.
Guard: Do you have anything to declare?
Michael: No.
Guard: What's in the car?
Me: Clothes, bedding, telescope.

At this point he hands us our passports and tells us we can go. I have never been questioned quite so thoroughly and had to resist the urge not to be a smart ass. Here is the way I was answering the questions in my head.

Guard: What is the purpose of your visit?
Me: To escape the rioting due to our credit downgrade.
Guard: What is your occupation?
Me: Well I am a graduate student, but to pay the bills I train terrorists.
Guard: What is in the car?
Me: 6 pairs of socks and underwear, a couple of shorts, shirts, and about a kilo of coke. Primo stuff.

Of course all of these answers would probably have gotten me pulled over and stripped search so I held it in. Now I am very curious to see what the US border agents are asking when I try to go home.

Angry Birds

I went home over lunch to pick up some library books for my trip to Canada. As soon as I walked in the house, I knew something wasn't right. I slowly looked around and then realized that the bird cage was missing. I found it open in two pieces with litter and birdseed scattered about on the floor. I quickly began my search for the birds and found feathers on the floor. I followed the trail of feathers down the hall and up the stairs at which point I made Michael go check my bed for a dead bird. I don't think I could handle that. We walked through the house a couple of times but couldn't find anything other than the first trail of feathers.

Michael started cleaning up the mess the birdcage made while I walked around with his phone playing YouTube videos of parakeet noises. During this time, Michael found the female tucked in a corner under some packing paper. She was spooked, but we got her in the cage and inspected her. She seemed untouched. About 10 min later, we found the male hidden underneath two computer game boxes that had fallen to form a little tent. He wasn't so lucky. While alive, he did have small gash on his body under his wing. We got him into the cage and he hopped around from perch to perch so he didn't seem too injured. We will just have to wait and see what happens. In the meantime, the birds are going to be kept in a cat free environment for the next week to allow them some time to calm down and heal.

During this whole time, the cats had been locked in the porch. Little Kitty was sitting outside the door meowing to be let in and as soon as we opened the door she dashed in. Kerrigan was the opposite, acting extremely guilty. On the porch she sat as far from the door as possible. When we open the door, she slunk towards it and when Michael reached for her she shied away. Even when she finally came in, she walked with her head down and was very skittish. She is the hunter and probably was the one who injured the male bird.

Now I have to find a new place for the cage. I have had the cage in its current spot for about 6 months. I am not sure where to put it.

Oh Vanity thy name is Clara

I should place a disclaimer here. If you are a guy who does not want to hear about female grooming, stop now, otherwise it could get weird.

All my life, well at least since puberty, I have been hairy. At one point in high school, a fellow male student commented that I had more arm hair than him. This comment did not bother me too much, since it is mostly blonde and society (at least in my circles) doesn't really seem to care about arm hair. But that statement could also be applied to places like my legs, bikini line, and underarm, which does bother me.


In 5th grade, there a was girl in my class who liked to pick on me and one day she made a comment about my underarms. So later that summer, when it was time for my family to go on our annual vacation spot, a place where I live in a bathing suit for about 2 weeks, I decided that it was time to enter the world of hair removal. At the time, I was scared of using a razor because I was sure that I would cut myself severely. My mom tried her best to assuage my fears, but I wasn't ready for the blade. Instead, we tried Nair. BIG MISTAKE! Even though I followed the directions, it gave me chemical burns. I couldn't put my arms down for 4 days due to the pain. On the positive side, I quickly got over my fear of razors.

I have used Nair and other chemical hair removal formulas since then with no problems. I think that first area was just extremely sensitive, but after shaving there it has toughened up significantly.

My battle with hair has been confined to razors (manual and electric) or removal creme. However, this has always been a chore which I have hated, because my hair is dark and so I only get about 1 day per shave.

I have considered waxing, but I'm a chicken and so far have never been able to bring myself to try. I also feel that if I am going to put up with the pain, I want it gone for good.

Recently, I went to an electrolysis consultation where I was recommended for laser hair removal. Both electrolysis and laser hair removal is extremely expensive. However, I think I might have found a good solution.

Introducing the Tria laser. This device uses the same type of laser used by the professionals, just at a lower power. It costs $400 and is designed to last long enough to eliminate most of the hair from your body.

After a couple of weeks of research and 4 days of eagerly watching FedEx package tracking, I have my very own Tria in my hands.

I prepped the skin as directed and chose a test patch on my leg. Starting with the lowest power setting, I began the test. Level 2 was fine, but at level 3 I felt a slight zing. At level 4, the zing was too intense. I say zing because it wasn't exactly painful, but there was a brief sharp sensation which cause my entire body to tingle. Needless to say, this would get bothersome over the duration of an entire leg. I have decided to acquire a topical anesthetic to decrease discomfort for longer treatment times. Tomorrow, I will see how the test section did. Assuming that everything goes well, I plan to start treating my underarms, bikini lines, and legs. It will be 9 months before I know if I have won my battle with hair removal and I plan to include battle reports along the way.

Grad school has made me crazy!

After 2.5 years of feeling poorly, I think I have finally figured out what is wrong: grad school is hell on my mental health. For a very long time, I was experiencing severe abdominal pain which was determined to be IBS. None of the IBS medications worked for me, so the next step was to treat my IBS triggers, namely stress. This was accomplished by my gastroenterologist prescribing me Lexapro. I have been taking this depression/anti-anxiety medication for a year now and my IBS symptoms have cleared up significantly. However, I have still been fighting extreme fatigue. At first, I felt that the fatigue was from the daily pain, but as that dissipated the lack of energy has continued. According to my mother's psychiatrist, some of the symptoms I complained of sounded like the physical manifestation of depression. Also, I was a tad uncomfortable with my gastroenterologist managing psychiatric medication. And finally, I do have a very strong family history of mental illness, so having someone more knowledgeable would be beneficial.

So recently I decided to find a psychiatrist. Little did I know...if you aren't crazy before...you will be after searching for a psychiatrist.

I used my insurance doctor finder to find all of the psychiatrists in the area. There were 63 names on the list. I didn't want to travel too far out of my way, so I was able to cut that number in half. My second elimination was for any doctor whose name I couldn't pronounce. I don't have anything against doctors who either grew up or studied in another country, but I want to make sure my doctor's philosophies with regards to treatment line up with my own. I have had experiences on several occasions where this has been an issue. I had one doctor who told me not to bathe as often and to not use soap. This doctor was not a dermatologist and my problem was not related to skin issues. However, this doctor was from a country that has different ideas about hygiene and I don't want to have issues however minor when it comes to my treatment.

Now on to the good stuff...

With the two conditions, above I began calling to find a doctor. The first doctor on the list was accepting new patients, but I would have to wait until November to get an appointment. So I said thanks, but I needed something sooner. The second doctor's office on the list was not accepting new patients. However, one of them would accept a request for treatment, so the receptionist started asking me questions about my health history. At first, it was pretty standard questions in which I explained my IBS history and what I was looking for. However, the conversation quickly went south.

Receptionist: Did any doctor refer you?

Me: No, but my mother talked to her psychiatrist about my symptoms and he thought it would be a good idea to see someone.

Receptionist: Well, why don't you see your mother's doctor.

Me: I am not really from the area.

Receptionist: How long are you going to be here?

Me: 3 years.

Receptionist: Where does you mother live?

Me: Oklahoma. I also saw a psychologist on the Notre Dame campus who gave me one of those checklist tests and said I may have depression.

Receptionist: Can't you see a psychiatrist on campus?

Me: They only have psychologists.

Receptionist: Why are you here over the summer?

Me: I am a graduate student and I am here year-round.

Finally the questions ended, and I was able to move on the next number on the list. Many of the doctors on the list were members of the same practice, so many of the calls covered 6-10 doctors on the list at a time.

The next place I called went something like this...

Robotic Voice: Thank you for calling Memorial Behavioral Health Services. Please listen to the menu...

I listened to all 9 options and then selected the operator since all the options seemed to be for existing patients. The conversation of with the operator went smoothly and I was transferred to someone who could supposedly answer my question. I explained that I was looking for a psychiatrist.

Receptionist: Yes we are accepting new patients.

Me: Well can I schedule an appointment?

Receptionist: We don't do the scheduling that is another location. They also have to do an intake interview which takes about 20 min. Do you have time?

Me: Sure.

Receptionist: Let me transfer you.

I was on hold for about 15 min and there was no music or message to let you know you were still on hold. So for 15 min I am wondering if I am on hold or lost in the magic world of phone limbo. Finally a voice answered.

Receptionist: Hello.

Me: I would like to schedule appointment with a psychiatrist.

Receptionist: Well we might be able to get you in August or September. Wait let me look at something. (Mutters something about July to me.) When would you like an appointment?

Me: Well the sooner the better. July would be great! All the other places I talked to were telling me I had to wait until November.

Receptionist: So you want a November appointment?

Me: No. The soonest you can get me in.

Receptionist: What insurance do you have?

Me: Aetna.

Receptionist: Wait a minute...we don't accept that.

Me: I found you through the Aetna website.

Receptionist: Well whose names are you seeing?

Me: (Start reading names off the list).

Receptionist: Well that was when we were at our old location. We are now Oaklawn and don't accept your insurance. You want the Epworth Center. Their phone number is 520 627 2452 06228.

I hung up and decided to Google the Epworth Center rather than try the number she gave me. I called the Epworth Center and had to navigate another automated call list, but this time found the person I sort of needed to talk to. She confirmed that they do use Aetna and that they were accepting new patients. However, the lady who did scheduling was not at her desk, so she couldn't do anything more. She took my information and said they would get back to me.

By this time there were only a few options left. A couple yielded "please record your message after the beep. One of the last numbers I tried yielded live person, but again things went poorly.

Receptionist: Hello.

Me: Hi. I am looking to find a psychiatrist and I wondered if any of them on your staff are accepting new patients.

Receptionist: What insurance provider do you have?

Me: Aetna.

Receptionist: Bear with me I am in training so I need to consult with my supervisor. (mumbling off the phone) What kind of doctor do you need?

Me: I need someone who can prescribe medication.

Receptionist: (chatting off the phone) The only person who can see you doesn't work with Aetna.

I ended the conversation at that point. By the end of 1.5 hours on the phone, I had two promises for callbacks and no appointment. The whole experience was depressing. Most people who are seeking help for mental health issues such as depression aren't going to be up to the hassle it was to find a doctor. It also seemed wrong that unless I was in danger of hurting myself, I was going to have to wait for months to see a doctor. A person's condition could become much worse in that amount of time. So, instead of treating them while they are still able to function, they could end up having to treat them under an emergency situation. I don't understand why it is so hard to find a psychiatrist. I have never had this much trouble finding a specialist who could see me within a few weeks and that was with a shorter list of options.

In the end, I decided to use another insurance program that could get me into a psychologist quickly. I am hoping that they will be able to refer me to a psychiatrist and I can slip into the system that way.

So to all my med student friends, if you haven't decided on your field, psychiatry could use some more help, and please reserve your first patient spot for me. At this rate, it seems like my best option.

And the Rockets Red Glare

For most of my life, I have never had the chance to celebrate the 4th with fireworks. Most 4th of Julys were spent in Canada and the few times I was in the country, I lived in a state where it was illegal to set fireworks off or buy them.
So tonight we had some fun. Granted, it was not as much fun as the street over, who have been setting off mortar shows for the last 2 hours, but it also didn't cost us the sum total of my paycheck. We did some of the small novelty ones like the Egg Laying Hen and the Tank. We had a few rainbow fountains and sparklers. We also had a few bottle rockets and 10 Roman Candles. Overall, it was fun night and, as I write this, my street still sounds like a war zone and probably will late into the night.

And so summer begins with a burial...

After a Saturday and Sunday of rain and thunderstorms, we finally had the perfect beach day: 90 degrees and sunny. So Anne, Nick, Michael, and I piled into the car and caravanned with Travis and his family to the Warren Dunes. The beach was busy as expected, but we were able to find a nice spot right next to the water to set up the Brown family beach tent. After some head scratching, the tent was finally set up and we began to head into the water.

The toe-test yielded a temperature so cold that many of the group debated if that was enough to keep them cool for the rest of the day. However, slowly we ventured in, first Travis, then me, and so on. It took about 2 min for the cold to start numbing my legs and then another 5 min for the pain to disappear, but once hypothermia set in the water began to feel wonderful.
We still didn't stay in the water too long.

After a quick snack break, it was time to honor the beach tradition of burying a party member in the sand. Michael was chosen as the sacrificial victim. Since none of us are civil engineers, our mound planning was not well done and Michael was able to easily escape from his sandy prison.

Once Michael has rinsed off, Nick, Michael, and I headed out to go visit Michigan wine country. We decided on visiting Tabor Hill Wineries for a tour and tasting. The vineyard was smaller than I expected for a brand I see all over the place. The tour took us out to the grapes and then to the winery building, where we saw the grape presser, fermentation barrels, and the bottling facility. The bottling facility is run by three employes with one hand-inspecting every bottle that is made. Again, the size of the operation seemed so small compared to the amount of wine produced. By the time the tour was over, the wine tasting room had closed, but we plan to return and make a day of traveling the Michigan Wine trail.

On the way home, we stopped in New Buffalo at Bentwood Tavern for dinner on the water. The food was good, but slightly overpriced due to its location in a resort and the neighboring yacht club.

The day ended with all of us having the wonderful tired feeling you can only get by spending the day in the sun with friends.

That's Not My Name

I always find it interesting to listen to what people call me after I introduce myself.  It doesn't bother me if people call me Claire, because it is a valid nickname for Clara.  What I find interesting is that most people don't really listen to me when I introduce myself; they only hear what they want to hear.  Many times I the conversation goes like this:


Stranger: Hello, I'm ____.  What's your name?
Me:  Clara.
Stranger: Nice to meet you Claire.

Then about 2-5 minutes later...

Stranger: Did you say Claire or Clara?


I think this casual interaction just goes to show you how common it is for people to not pay attention to what they are hearing or they only partially listen to what's being said.  As I said before, I don't mind if someone calls me Claire as a nickname, but only when it isn't right after I introduced myself as Clara.

Spring has sprung, but my teeth hurt.

The weather has been yoyoing back and forth between hot/humid and chilly. Fortunately, the chilly days have been on the weekends, so I have actually been able to enjoy working in the yard. One of my primary goals is to grow grass in the backyard where the pool used to be. So far, I have covered about half the area with about 1200 lbs of top soil. The grass is finally starting to come it, but it is slow going. I will probably have to wait until fall to get the next half.

I also ripped out a bunch of the overgrown shrubs that were taking up alot of space in the back of the yard. Now half of it is growing grass and the other half is my garden. This season, I am going to try growing peppers, tomatoes, corn, peas, lettuce, spinach, and cantaloupe.

In the other parts of my yard, I have planted raspberry and blueberry bushes. I also have planters that are starting to sprout cilantro, catnip, chives, and basil. We will see how green my thumb ends up being.

Herb Planter

Garden

I have also been working to make the backyard a better hang out spot. Michael bought me a stand for my hammock and I also purchased a gazebo for the deck.

In the meantime, I have been racing to have all my dental work finished before I lose my dental insurance.

Fruit Bushes

New Gazebo

I went to Mahoney Family Dentistry for my first annual cleaning in about 3 years only to find out that all of the fillings I had done about 5 years ago needed to be fixed. Originally, the plan was to do different sections of my mouth over the entire summer, but that same day I found out that my father's company had been bought by GE and our dental benefits were going to end. At the time, I thought they would end within the week, but I was able to keep it until the end of May which meant that I had a 2.5-3 hour dental appointment for each Tuesday of the month of May. While painful and annoying, the experience was about a good as it could be. The dentist even said that I was easy to work on and he liked that I came dressed in PJs so I could be comfortable while he worked.

Lizzie Birden

So I decided to get a bird. I ended up getting a parakeet. When Michael and I tried to move it from its box into the cage it got free and ended up in Little Kitty's mouth. However, she was quickly rescued and moved safely into the cage. The problem began a week later when I decided to get a companion for my bird. The first companion lasted 2 days before I found it dead in the cage with the other bird nestled up beside it. The second companion lasted 3 days before it was found dead with the original bird sitting on its corpse. At this point, we decided that I had a serial killer bird. The pet store kindly indicated that I should probably not get another bird. I plan to try again in a month or two when a different shipment of birds had come in just in case it was some illness that was in the pet store cage.

Seven months later...

Seven months later, I have finally finished my qualifiers. The victory was two-fold. The first victory was for my meds. I entered the qualifier makeup time into my calendar while still in OK. However, when I came back to Indiana the calendar changed the times, so I thought it was an hour later than it really was. The morning of the test, I received a text from my professor wondering where I was because the test had started 20 minutes earlier. A year ago if this had happened, I would have freaked out and probably would have been jittery most of the morning. Since I was on my meds, I just calmly pulled my pencil and calculator out of my bag and went and took the test. The second victory was that I passed the qualifier with an 8.6/10 which was the highest score of the retake group.

Another exciting development in my life is that I have started taking a yoga class with Elaine at her gym, Ice Athletic Center. We walked into the first class yesterday and were greeted by the rest of our classmates who, much to our surprise, were five ladies all over the age of 60. It is really nice because it doesn't matter how out of shape or inflexible I am, I still look good compared to them. The rest of the gym facilities were really nice and I might use the gym for more than just yoga. The memberships are a bit high, but they sell day passes at 10 days for $79.

End of one year and the begining of a new semester

I am finally back home. We almost didn't fit in the car again coming back from Oklahoma. The weather here is awful. There is at least two feet of snow on the ground and the streets are covered to the point where you can't see where they are.

While classes start on the 18th, I still have work to get done. My laser returned from repair, but the main component of my research, the pump, is still in Canada. I am hoping to finally start taking data this semester.

I am also taking two classes: turbulence and finite element analysis.