Day 51

I took Kalmia Street home and was struck by this beautiful expanse of the bay in front of me. If you look closely you see a huge aircraft carrier docked on the other side of the bay....

Contemplative Interlude....

It's been 50 days since I set foot in California, and while I hope folks have gotten a glimpse of my daily life here through my pictures, I figure this is a good time to throw in some narrative as well.

The drive from coast to coast was about as straightforward as any one could ask for. Justin was the perfect co-pilot. That's not to say it was smooth sailing throughout, but considering the crap we've shared over the last 20 years of friendship we weren't about to let a snotty bitch of a GPS or a near-death experience in the Mohave Desert bring us down. We had crosswords, cows and a mutual addiction to coffee to keep things in perspective. Along the way, we were housed and fed by a group of friends we will always be indebted to.... specifically:

1. Chris Learn, Columbus, OH: We rolled in at some ungodly hour (mainly my fault for leaving late and getting stuck in Manhattan trying to take the Holland Tunnel) and still Chris, bless his heart, was up and waiting to greet us with a smile. We chatted, inflated the most comfortable air mattress I've ever slept on, and fell dead asleep. In the morning, he treated us to an amazing breakfast at a true local's place and we were off. Too short a stay for the hospitality we were shown. Hopefully I can pay it back at some point.

2. Kelle Oberle, Denver, CO: This is the second time Kelle has been so gracious as to open her home to me. The first time was during fellowship interview season last year when she and her now-hubby Mark treated me to a three-day Denver extravaganza. While this second stop was not as long, it was no less appreciated. Justin and I were treated to cold beer, good conversation, and the lap of luxury in terms of accommodations.

3. Jaime Migdalene, Flagstaff, AZ: I had met Jaime once, 6 years ago, at Jamie and Colleen's wedding when she came as Justin's date. I hadn't seen her since. But the way she opened her home to us, took us out for food and drink when we got in to town and then introduced us to a fantastic breakfast spot before we headed out, you would have thought we were long time neighbors hanging out as usual. That's how fantastic she is. Couple that with our mutual enjoyment of pissing off Justin, it was a great last stop before Cali.

We finally hit the Pacific Ocean around 6pm on Friday, June 25th. I had left Stony Brook around 2pm on June 21st. 97 hours total. Not too shabby... but I still don't want to do that again any time soon. While it was a relatively painless journey, it wasn't exactly the magical experience some tend to label it. Perhaps I'd feel different if I didn't have the specter of the written OB/Gyn boards on June 30th looming over me and making me feel rushed at all times. Maybe spending more quality time seeing monumental sites like the Grand Canyon or exploring the wineries of the midwest could have touched the soul.

Or maybe we would have ended up killing each other. Who knows.....

On to the next 50 days.....

Jerry.

Day 50

Lazy afternoon of recreational reading and people watching at The Living Room in La Jolla...

Day 49

Found this little piece of Christmas on my walk home from the movies...

Day 48

I walk by this gallery nearly every day and I haven't built up the guts to go inside....

Day 47

Girlfriend from Grenada....

Day 46

Coffeeshop? Check. Highlighter? Check. Free WiFi? Check.

All's good....

Day 45

I'll admit, this picture was not taken on day 45, but you know what?
It's my first day without girlfriend for the next 4 months, so sue me
if I want to look at her...

Day 44

The US Open of Sandcastles 2010 at Imperial Beach...

Day 43

With the return to the land of the living, I ordered what was, perhaps, the most preposterous breakfast dish I have ever seen a Hash House a Go-Go...

Days 41-42

So, Days 41-42 involved my first attending call at UCSD Hillcrest and then half a post-call day in the office. Unfortunately, I didn't have the opportunity nor the will to take pictures by the 34th hour of being awake, at which point I fell into a deep coma, not to awaken until day 43......

Day 40

Movie night at Point Loma!

Day 39

Girlfriend's big day out today! This is our favorite tree as you enter Balboa Park....

Day 38

Kitchen is coming together quite nicely. We finally got a microwave!

Day 37

Though not taken ON Day 37, here is the fruit of our labor from the day...

Day 36

Pit stop at Newport Beach on our way down Highway 1....

Day 35

West Coast sunsets vs. East Coast sunrises....the jury's still out.

Day 34

A little bit of home to make it feel like home....

Day 33

The moon over Huntington Beach...

Day 31

A surprisingly family friendly place for dinner... 1st ave & Washington.

Day 32

I love antepartum patients with a good sense of humor....

Day 30

Back at the zoo...this time with some rug rats...

Day 29

Free couch...somehow, we got it to fit!

Day 28

Members!!

Day 27

You just can't complain when your walk to your car looks this nice!

Day 26

This is where you can get good coffee at UCSD, instead of the crappy coffee in the cafeteria...

Day 25

Coming home from our date night! Mexican food and a movie...

Day 24

Okay....so I'm lying a bit about this one. This was actually taken on Day 25. But I found another neighborhood sign! So all is forgiven...

Day 23

Getting some work done at Lestat's in Normal Heights...

Day 22

San Diego Pride Parade 2010

Day 21

Think I'll take my lunch in the courtyard...

Day 20

Sunset walk....

Day 19

Got my iced coffee, outdoor seat, perfect weather and free WiFi....what else does a nerd need?

Day 18

Most picturesque sunrise yet! Finally, no gray!

Day 17

It's not quite a corner office, but it'll do for a fellow...

Day 16

Just thought I'd snap a shot of our apartment building at night...we're first floor corner apartment overlooking the Union & Laurel intersection....

Day 15

So, San Diego has these neat signs throughout the city labeling certain neighborhoods and streets...my goal is to find them all. I've already posted Little Italy's....this one is from Normal Heights, where girlfriend and I found a supercool coffee shop...

Day 14

Awesome day....beautiful night! Just getting out....

Day 13

On Randi's recommendation, I took Regina to Yogurtland in Little Italy.....

Day 12

Day 11

A sunset stroll through Seaport Village. Note the rock formations on the lower right...a guy balanced those rocks one by one....

Day 10

A fitting end to a holiday weekend....

Day 9

4th of July...first day of call!

Day 8

She just couldn't resist....

Day 7

One week down, and so far so good...

Day 6...Happy New Year

First day as a fellow hasn't been too rough... was even able to have
lunch with Regina between office hours!

Day 5

The sun is out in full force...I finished orientation...and look! A
wife! There's a wife in my apartment!

It's all coming together....slowly but surely....

Day 4

God bless you, Ikea! $25 desk, "as-is" and 2 $10 chairs. As Dr.
O'Keefe would say...that's all you need....

Day 3

> With the written boards done, it's time to start unpacking.... >

Day 2

Studying with Lan Na (and Shelly & Randi) at Starbucks....

Day 1

It's a gray and breezy Saturday morning, which made the walk to Starbucks in Little Italy comfortable....actually needed my Flatbush sweatshirt. The grayness actually makes the fact I have to study for the next 48 hours straight a little more palatable. Justin should be making his way around here sooner or later....

Blogger Block...

I'll admit it, I suck at this blogging stuff.

I can't put my finger on it, but I feel like I'm caught between the generation that kept "journals" and "diaries" for one's own edification and self-loathing and the new breed of online exhibitionists who feel the need to let every human being with a working set of eyes and vocabulary know what he or she is wearing, eating, thinking, smelling, tasting, reading, feeling, buying, selling, or looking at. I have a Twitter account collecting cyber dust, a Friendster account that dates me in the early 2000's, a MySpace account that makes me feel like the creepy old guy hanging out with high schoolers, and a Facebook account with 401 "friends".

And yet I find myself increasingly keeping things to myself. It's not that I don't talk (believe me, folks around me can attest to this), it's just that I don't feel any desire to commit any of it to paper, or emails, or anything that could be construed as documentation. I say this with some degree of sadness, because I would love to one day look back and maybe write a memoir, or pass along something meaningful to my kids, or even simply reminisce, but I am realizing more and more with each passing day that my memory truly sucks. It's atrocious. I don't know if I'm squeezing things out with the mass of knowledge I've had to accumulate over the last 8 years, or the fact that I'm decrepit and old at the tender age of 31, but some of my most reliable memories and stories are becoming fuzzy, at best.

So, going forward, I'm hoping to start anew in San Diego. Oh yeah, by the way, I'll be heading out to San Diego for my Maternal-Fetal Medicine fellowship. That's about the biggest news I have since my last post. That's not to say I haven't had a shitload of fun and excitement navigating the SS Ballas through the shark infested Bermuda triangle that is residency.

It's just that I'm having a hard time remembering it right now.

Onward and upwards, I guess...