the underwear drawer

au revoir

I'm on vacation now, did I mention that? Well, I am. Just so hopeful med students don't get the wrong idea about how much time one has during residency to run around to the dentist and to driving classes and such.

Tonight, Joe and I are leaving for a flight to London, where we'll be spending eight days, split between London and Paris. (We're actually going to Paris first, so we'll be catching a connecting flight to Paris a few hours after we land in Heathrow, and then taking the Chunnel back a few days later.) I know I hadn't mentioned before that we were leaving the country for a week, but that was all for one simple reason--I kind of forgot. I mean, I remembered, but the planning had started so long ago that the fact that our trip date was finally here kind of snuck up on me. Yesterday, I was like, "Wait, we're leaving for Paris tomorrow? Holy shit, I have to pack!" (Luckily, my wardrobe is so limited right now that packing will take almost no time at all--unpack clean laundry, stuff into duffle bag. Done and done.)

The second reason I kind of forgot we were going is that Joe and I didn't really do the planning. This is a trip that we're going on with my family, so my parents made all the necessary arrangements, from flight to hotel to many things in between. The awesome thing about going on a trip with your parents is that your style of travel is immediately upgraded. If it were just Joe and I going, I suspect that we'd probably be flying Coach and staying at a seedy-ish hotel, maybe somewhere close to the airport. But since we're going with my parents, it's Business Class all the way, and a nicer hotel, maybe even without vermin. I am excited about Business Class for several reasons:

1. There's a fancy lounge for you to sit in at the airport. With snacks!
2. More space on the plane. I mean, not that I'm a great big fat person or anything, but I like having room to stretch my legs.
3. Meals on the plane are served with real silverware! (Still plastic knives, though. Thanks, terrorists.) And there are fancy touches, like tablecloths and wine and a fruit and cheese platter at the end of the meal.
4. British Airways sells itself by purporting to have fully reclining seats in Business Class. Obviously, it's not as comfortable as a real bed, but for crap's sake, you're talking to a girl who, as a Sub-I, once took a nap on a carpeted cement floor.

So we're leaving tonight, and returning Sunday of next week. And Monday, we're both back to work--Joe doing his usual Ophtho thing, and me working nights as the second senior on the wards. So maybe the jet-lag will actually work in my favor.

To anticipate when I come back: pictures, of course. Maybe I will make Joe pose with a giant frech bread and a beret in front of the Eiffel Tower. While pretending to be trapped in an invisible box. That would be awesome. Also upon our return, Cletus exposed! That is to say, I'll finally tell you guys the real named we picked out for the kid. (Hint: not "Horseshack".)

Currently reading: "Walk on Water." I first read this book about a year ago, and started my second read yesterday, figuring that it might be even better after three more rotations total through both the NICU and the PICU. And you know what, it really is. I can't put it down. Again.