ants

I was listening to a podcast called "The Naked Scientist," while I was driving this weekend. It is a radio talk show where various scientists answer people's random scientific questions. Sort of like the book, "Why Do Men Have Nipples?," if you've ever heard of that one. Which is very good, by the way.
Any hoo... the point is that one guy asked can wasps/bees find their way back to their hives if they are taken far away from them. The question was posed I think because these animals fly quite a ways and still seem to find their way back to the nest. The answer had something to do with being able to see UV light and the insect being able to gauge how far and in what direction it has traveled by the sun. The more interest part was when the doctor mentioned that experiments have been done with ants and how they find their way home after foraging for food, etc.

It is not done by sight or smell, but rather by counting the number of steps they take. How do
they know this, you ask? Well ... you glue pig hairs to the bottom of ant's feet and thus by making their legs longer they overshoot their home when returning from being away. And if you cut their legs and make them shorter - they stop short of home.

http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2006/07/03/ants_use_legs_as_pedometer_to_find_their_way_home/

Who thinks of this stuff - gluing pig hairs to ant feet? Yet it worked AND it answered their question!

You can't step on my toes anymore

I've mainly been working in the clinic all week. Most days this week we've finished a little bit late and I have just been exhausted. Yesterday, was a fun day. I spent the morning with an organization associated with the hospital here that sends nurses out to patient's homes. The nurses help change wound dressings or check on patients post-surgery to make sure everything is going alright.

We visited a few interesting characters yesterday. Two of the elderly men we visited were hilarious. I wish I could describe them in a way that would make you just see how funny they were. They reminded me of my Grandpa when he gets on a rule. Full of bullshit, a little bit crotchety, and always picking on their wives.

One of the gentlemen just had the toes on his Left foot amputated, the toes on his right foot had been done prior and was already healed. Due to diabetes. Medically, it's a sad situation - but this man had high spirits. He had 5 daughters and was telling us that's why he's nuts. He was giving the nurse a hard time. He told her that he kept his alcohol in this big jug of wound cleaning solution and she told him it didn't smell like vodka. Then he starts asking her if she needs alcohol to function and if she's every used drugs aside from prescription, etc. You're my healthcare worker and I have a right to know.

Later he goes on to inform us that he has the right to fire anyone he wants (in terms of his health care providers). "I read my medicare rights and it says I can." I was laughing the entire time we were there cleaning and redressing his wound.
The best line of the entire morning was - "I think I'm going to write a book. The title will be... You Can't Step on my Toes Anymore!"

Celebrate Erie

This weekend is Celebrate Erie. Rosemary, Jill, and I went tonight and enjoyed Taste of Erie, a Chalk Walk and just enjoyed being outside on a beautiful evening. There were a few live bands playing music, tons of food, and lots of people. We did quite a bit of people watching while walking around. Erie is a nice little city with lots to offer. It's an older city, which I'm slowly realizing is just part of the east coast. California doesn't really have any old cities compared to the east coast.

Below are some pictures from this evening and the chalk walk. Enjoy!
Yummy!

sunset

I wish I had the energy for a real post, but I'm tired. I stayed up too late last night watching the girls gymnastic team finals and then woke up too early.
So here's a picture of a sunset on Lake Erie - taken this evening. There's also one of Jill and I having fun this afternoon.




Erie has these fish and frogs all over the city - they are designed my different artists and companies/schools purchase them as a fundraiser. More pictures to come.

good times

Just a brief update on what I've been up to - not too much. I think I'm finally getting used to clinic life and things aren't as exciting as they used to be. Well, they are still exciting for me, but I'm not quite as excited to share, because I realize that it's probably more exciting for me and I'm also still exhausted at the end of the day. Today was a full clinic day which was nice. I enjoyed myself. Then I went out to dinner with some of the residents and we went to see Mama Mia afterwards. Terrific movie! Better than I expected, minus Pierce Brosnan's singing.

This weekend was wonderful. I slept in on Sat morning then went to the beach! A few of my friends came into town from Hershey. Sat night we ate dinner by the water and came back and played a few games. Good times. Sunday morning brunch with AWESOME dessert! And of course Sunday night was spent watching the Olympics on tv. I'm completely in love with watching the olympics and could be glued to the tv for hours at a time if I didn't have so much other stuff to get done.


Then back to the real world today. Jill (see previous post) and I have been exploring Erie slowly. There are quite a few cute coffee shops we have yet to explore and quite a few restaurants we want to try. Good times, good times.


It's hard being away from Hershey. I miss Hershey and home just a little more, but am enjoying my experience here all the same. It really shows that it's the people that make the place. I'm lucky that I'll be close to Hershey for the rest of my rotations after this one and my parents are coming out to visit in a month!

Jump, jump, jump

The Ocean or Lake Erie????

Jill and I having a little fun. We found a nice woman who was willing to try and catch us in the air!
1, 2, 3... JUMP!


Not quite...


Too blurry!


We'll keep trying!




Ta Da!!! We did it!

Puppy

I've been referred to as a "puppy" 2x's in the past 2 days. Yesterday, Jill (a fellow Penn State classmate) and I followed around a respiratory therapist. We passed someone he knew in the hall and he mentioned that he had "2 puppies" with him today. Obviously referring to Jill and myself. This afternoon I spent with the IV team. I went up with one of the nurses who introduced me as the medical student who was following her around for the afternoon. The patient, "like a puppy"

So I have graduated college and have 2 years of medical school under my belt all to become .... a puppy!

This morning I followed around home care and made some house calls with a nurse. Then the afternoon was spent with the IV team. Interesting case of a woman coming down off of a drug OD. She had no idea what was going on. totally restrained w/ 2 nurses trying to hold her down while the other nurse tried to get a PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) into her arm. It was an interesting site. This woman was completely out of it. One stick she said "ow" and the nurses said sorry - she informed them that they didn't need to be sorry, because the cat bit her. Obviously there's no cat in the hospital room with her. There was other rambling speech and babbling as you can imagine.

I've been exploring Erie as well the past few days. Pictures to follow soon!

the taste of summer

Locally grown blueberries, Brie, and a Bagette. Can't get much better than that!
:)

Erie, PA

5.5 hour drive by myself. This is the longest I've ever driven alone and I was fine. Didn't seem that long for some reason. Lot's of loud singing to myself perhaps. New favorite CD - Katy Perry, One of the Boys.
I arrived in Erie, PA last night around 9:30. I will be in Erie for the next 4 weeks on another rotation. This one happens to be in family medicine again. It is designed to be a rotation where we learn about under-served medicine and primary care.
It's late so this will be a somewhat short post, with pictures to follow tomorrow. I live in a 3 bedroom apartment with 2 other girls. Another from my class and the other a student from Drexel (a med school in philly). We live above a garage.... the catch is that this garage doesn't house normal cars...but it has hearsts. I park my car in a funeral home parking lot. So, that makes it sort of interesting.
Tomorrow is my first full day.