Heterosexism and daffodils

I have been feeling a little bogged down by residency as most people have noticed. Tacoma, while not without its charms, hasn't proven to be a liberal city charged with excitement over advocacy and change. Last week I was treated differently by a clinic office where I was a patient. The receptionist was pleasant as pie to me until I brought up that they didn't have domestic partnership under "status" on their intake. This means same sex or common-law couples would be obligated to leave it blank or check "single" - a very big pet peeve of mine. After that she was cold and, while not completely rude, had obviously decided I wasn't worth her time anymore. In addition to the icky taste that left me, I also heard a rumor (from a reliable source, but a rumor nonetheless) that my employer is prioritizing profits over patients by trying to monopolize the market on drug-store clinic offices. I am not impressed. (Photo is a sign between my clinic entrance and the hospital entrance. First time I saw it I thought it was Russian).

So I am trying to reach out and find things that make me feel useful, happy, hopeful. Something other than work because, I have said it before, the work of a resident is pretty thankless most the time. Seriously, how many of you when you are sick and miserable feel thankful for anything? It also doesn't help that in our program the second year of residency is just as grueling, if not more so, than the first. So the light at the end of my tunnel is very far away.

Countdown clock:
Days left of residency: 816
Vacation days left of those: 49 (one coming up in a few weeks)

Next week I will be heading to a local elementary school to present to kids a pre-packaged presentation called Tar Wars. Click on the link to read more about it. It essentially is aimed to target kids before they start smoking or see peers smoking and involves some interactive activities.

The following week I will be traveling to UW medical school to participate in a workshop to teach first year medical students about the musckuloskeletal exam - joint exams, range of motion, that kind of stuff.

This weekend I have a black weekend. But after that I have my first weekend off in two weeks (oh the joys of a supposedly out-patient rotation)! That weekend promises to be nice with an event Tacoma has been hosting for 75 years.... drum roll.... the daffodil festival! And while it's still more than a week away, it's something to look forward to.