Mini vacay

 2 days before leaving, I ended up buyin plane ticket for $240, which is now almost unheard of, so I was like what the heck, it'll get me there fast enough without driving and also a day earlier to spend with Kirstin.
And off I go!!

New York

The first night/day I got there was mostly spent just catching up.  We ended up shopping a little for some going out clothes for Kirstin, got her a couple outfits that she can swap the tops and bottoms.  Just very laid back, hanging out.

Atlantic City

We then head out to AC and stayed at the Showboat.  It is still pre-season so the boardwalk was not fully opened yet. We managed to catch some sunset on the boardwalk beach.  The beach was not very pretty but I enjoyed it nonetheless, being that it's ocean, has sun and not Cleveland.



Atlantic City beach on boardwalk

Dinner was at Celine's cafe, a quaint little place that serve sandwiches and full meals.  We had calamari and I had the coconut shrimp.  Talk about yummy and delish.  Anyways, we took a walk down the boardwalk, think walked about 3 miles after the food, then play the slots machine.  I of course didn't win anything, only lost $10.  Kirstin actually won $30 before she was tempted by more slots to play more.  She ended up being even.

We then drove to Brigantine Beach by AC, and it was gorgeous.  The sand was prettier and just got the feel of summer beach vacay.  The beach houses there are cute, the total cape cod beach house style.  We then sort of fell asleep on the beach for about 1hr and definitely got burned.  Lunch was at Nazim's Indian buffet, good, not too Americanized.

Brigatine Beach

Philly

Got to Kirstin and Mike's house in the afternoon, pizza for dinner and pool and hot tub the rest of the night.  Had a little time to catch up with Krista as she just finished her PE. Then met Amy and Guston, Mike's sister and brother-in-law, and their lovely "moose".  We just hung out at the house mostly, going down the real water slide and diving board, hot tub.

New York

My last night on Saturday, we head to rooftop lounge/bar on 230 5th.  It's got great views but definitely a little too high end for regular night out.  It's a great place for special nights outings.  It was fun though, really wished I could have met Frank and Jonathan, Kirstin's NY crazy residents.

Of course, for my flight back, Chicago has thunderstorm and tornado warning and I would have missed my connection even with all the delays, so I opt to stay an extra night with Kirstin.

By the time I left, I just felt lost, I didn't want to come back to Cleveland.  It's almost a dreaded feeling that Cleveland is now my home for a few years.  Definitely not happy here and can't wait til residency is over and I could look foward to move to the coast.

SICU ... hmm

It's been a long 2 months ... 14 calls total with some crazy things interspersed.

SICU environment is one where there's a steep learning curve on everything, ventilation, acute management, putting out fires overnight.  I enjoyed the learning environment, all the staff and fellows are more than willing to teach.  There are a few stories I've got on the seniors that I was on call with.

I'm sure there's always a senior where everything has problems with.  And this one is driving everything nuts.  He has a military background and very much into hierarchy.  It's interesting how he fits in with other anesthesiologists as the people in the field is more laid back, less uptight about the whole medicine hierarchy.  Also I'm not really sure how much clinical knowledge he's got.  He's gotten into some trouble over some things that he's done, like starting insulin drip less than 24hrs after a pancreas transplant.  The nurses did not like him as well so that makes life for me at night a little more difficult.  The nurses will try their best to get around him and find me for things but because I'm an intern, there are some things that I still have to get an ok from him.  Also at times, he would like to teach at 2-3am and I'm like, I'm exhausted and nothing he teach will stay with me. So don't waste anyone's time and just move on.  Boy, am I glad that this is done.  I feel bad for the other intern who was on call with him a couple of times.  He really walked over her, more so than me.  I just don't let anyone walk over me, especially major things.  I also got yelled at by one of the staff when one of his patient went into Afib and find that her electrolytes needed replacement all day, which was not done. 

The second month was not much better.  The first month was actually fun cuz we would prank page each other, talk about other things outside of hospital, in general, we just get along better.  The second month, people were just not as friendly and I find it harder to talk to them about random things.  On top of that there's also another senior who was not fun to work with.  She a little more hands off and disappears throughout the night.  Also during daytime, she would sign out a bit of things to do to the night time. 

I definitely know that when I become a senior, what not to do.

At the end, I just felt like I have been holed up in the ICU dungeon and have absolutely no idea what else is happening with anyone else.  I'm glad that I'm done with ICU until my 3rd year.  Also realized that I'm not a critical care person as I was getting really tired of the medicine that has become more like the floor.  So that's definitely one fellowship I have ruled out.

Food ... last 2 months

I haven't stopped eating out to try places despite my somewhat crazy schedule.  The reviews might be out of order but there they are.

South Side
Went there twice.  First time was brunch and I had chicken and waffle.  Before you say gross, it is very yummy despite the sound of it.  I remembered the first time I had chicken and waffle was Roscoe's in LA, I was grossed out by it too until I took my first bite.  It's soo good that you can feel you arteries clogging up. South Side was just as good, crispy chicken and waffle with maple syrup and cinnamon butter.  Totally recommend it.  The second time I went for late night dinner and ordered Grilled Eggplant Capresa sandwich with Fried Portabella.  The sandwich was made with fresh mozzarella and the portabella was fresh too. mouthwatering.  The atmosphere was great too, very friendly, great place for just hanging out, time with girlfriends.

Chinato
Went there on a Friday nite for dinner.  Not impressed at all.  The portion was ok but pricey.  The flavor is just not there.  It wasn't anything special.  Whatever I ordered, it didn't make a lasting impression.  The atmosphere was ok, a little loud, maybe it's because people were eating there prior to bars.

Sushi Rock - Beachwood
It's very modern for a Japanese cuisine.  The menu is very fusion like and the decor portrayed that too.  It would be a good date night too.  I had the Golden dragon roll and my girlfriend had the sushi rock tempura roll.  They are both good.  Very well made, it's comparable to the ones I've had in Cali.  I also had the lobster bisque.  It's a little weakness of mine, lobster bisque and pumpkin bisque, always gotta try them if the restaurants have them.  The soup was a little too salty but huge portion.  The calamari appetizer looked good too, I think I would get that next time too.  I would come again but it won't be the top sushi place, it's a little too fusion for Japanese cuisine.

Pacific East - Eaton Village
Yummy!!  It's got good sushi, no doubt.  Even now, I can totally go back and eat more.  They've got good size portion, especially if you ordered the bento box/combo.  The flavor is there with the raw fish and they've got some good combo and some with their own added twist.  Can't wait to try the one here in Coventry.

Melange
Eh. Not enough flavor.  I had the lobster mac and cheese and something just didn't taste right.  It's got a taste of seafood not clean or not cooked proper.  I could smell and taste the fishiness.  It's definitely got the Midwest portion,  I had enough for another 2 meals and when I heat up the leftover, there was so much oil.  gross.  definitely not coming.

The Mad Greek
It's my 2nd trip.  Love the place.  It's a great little Mediterranean restaurant, family owned but large enough to not be hole in the wall.  It's fancier than Taza and a little more formal.  The food, oh my, delish. The first time I ordered the gyro and the second time I had chicken souvlaki.  They were both yummy. It's not too salty and there were both refreshing, exactly what I would imagine Greek cuisine would be like.

Aladdin - across from Mad Greek
Aladdin's Flavor special is cheap and good.  Totally would be something I would be ordering takeout, which I already did.  Their hot sauce is something, it's tart, pepper spicy and a hint of sweetness too.  I know, usually I don't eat beef but for this I made an exception.  They did well, very juicy and flavorful.  Even the rice was good too.  None of it tasted too oily and it's light too.  The atmosphere is very casual, very collegiate like.  It reminds of the restaurants in Westwood when I was at UCLA.

Blake's Seafood - Crocker Park
We just had a good day and just decided to stop in for dinner. I had Garlic Crusted Haddock.  The fish was cooked nicely and it had the richness that the haddock has.  The place is like a steakhouse environment that serves mostly seafood.  It has the very Western flavor in the decor but at the same time it feels like there's a little class.  Dunno if I would come back for seconds.

Wow, after all this, realized I ate a lot.  I'm sure there's going to more later .... :)