So May was a crazy month. And I'm not just saying that because I totally and completely failed my 500 words-a-day goal for May. I'm saying it because it was the craziest month I've had next to March (which had my wedding, so you can see where I'm going with this...)

In May my husband had his Officer Basic Course, about which I have already written in these pages. And also, I was sent to San Diego for my work for a week. A solid week (weekends included) of eleven-plus hour days... And I'm only now getting a couple of days off to relax after that crazy trip. I mean, sure doctors are bright people (I was at a medical conference, by the way), but my GOD they can be dense! My tolerance for stupid went way down after that trip! I lost track of how many stupid questions my co-workers and I got asked over that week.

"Have you seen my rubber glove?"

(Asked in front of huge windows) "What's today's weather; rainy or cloudy?"

(Asked in the San Diego convention center) "Where's the convention center?"

"How do you use this calling card?"

I mean, do I look like I work for Sprint?! Seriously!


Not to mention that while we were there, a building that was under construction right next door to the convention center had a gas line explode. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080519-1837-bn19blast4.html
And when that explosion shook the whole convention center, the attendees still seemed to think that I, wearing that bright red badge that said STAFF, would know what happened in the thirty seconds immediately following the blast. Look, just because I work here, doesn't mean I'm psychic. Ah, yes, I see a gas line exploding at the hotel next door... And you're a huge doofus that should never have received a license to practice medicine.


In addition to all the wonderful joys of San Diego (most of which I did not get to see, by the way), we have an addition to our household.

No, it's nothing like that. A very dear friend of ours just graduated from college and wished very much to move down to the DC area to be near my husband and me. But he is from Buffalo, NY and as such had no convenient way of actually moving down here. My husband and I happen to have a spare bedroom in our house, and we both now how extremely difficult it is to move to a location where you do not currently reside. So... we now have a houseguest who will be staying with us for several months. He actually has to finish up a couple of courses, which he's taking at a nearby UMaryland campus, and so he'll be with us until that's complete and he's able to find a job and an apartment. He's a great person and a wonderful friend, so I have high hopes that this living arrangement will work out well for everyone involved. He's only been here since Friday, but so far things have been great. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.

Dragon Believer

My husband is a Lieutenant Junior-Grade in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. He could be deployed to aid in a natural disaster or a national emergency. He has spent the last two weeks in another state learning what that means. Today, he was in charge of the unit during a emergency simulation. Today, he learned to triage.

Today, he learned to give the order for the doctors and nurses working beneath him to abandon their patients.

The simulation was straight forward: the president has died of a heart attack, and you as Public Health officers are working the funeral, tending to people as they become dehydrated and things like that. And then a dirty bomb goes off. And another. Suddenly, your commanding officer gets called away and you are in command. You have to decide who gets treated and does not.

You make the call to withdraw before your officers become contaminated from the radioactive fallout.


"I hope I never have to do that," he told me. What do you say to something like that? Even though it was only an exercise, he still had to order his officers to withdrawing, effectively abandoning their patients. Which they refused to do.

But what good are Public Health officers with radiation poisoning? He made the right call, and for that (as well as countless other points) I am proud of him. Though just because it is the right order to give, does not mean it was an easy one. Triaging is a necessary part of emergency medical care in the field, but deciding who ultimately lives or dies is never an easy thing for a person to do. These are human lives, other people with families and friends, and their lives are dependent on what you say and do.

It is not easy, even in a simulation. Even in the safety of a conference center one state away from home.

Today was also the day that he was officially commissioned, graduating from the Officer Basic Course. He was selected from the unit (one of its youngest officers) to make a speech. He spoke passionately about the skills and duties they'd learned in the last two weeks, and about the friendship and camaraderie they all shared after so short a time. The officers ranged across state lines, across professions, and across age in decades, but they were all joined, he said, by the uniform they wear every day and by the oaths they have sworn to protect and serve the health and safety of a nation. He was cheered and congratulated as he left the stage, having clearly put into words the thoughts and feelings of his forty-six fellow officers. The acting Surgeon General, Rear Admiral Steve Galson, complimented him personally after the ceremony closed. His commanding officers could not stop beaming and praising him. His, rather southern-sounding Captain told me, "You have a bright one on your hands, by golly! We're looking forward to seeing more of him in the future." (Yes, he really did say 'by golly.')

I am so proud of my husband, a Lieutenant Junior-Grade in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.

Dragon Believer
 

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Did I tell you that I miss you while you're gone?

It's too quiet here without you.

Did I tell you I've been sleeping on your side of the bed?

Now it's my side that looks empty.

Did I tell you the cat's been keeping me company?

I think she's getting tired of my conversation.

Did I tell you you're my other half?

I'm just not the same when you're gone.

Me
 

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         It's quiet, somewhat lonely nights like tonight that I wonder how things will be years and years from now. Will I still groan at the thought of the laundry in the dryer? Will I still sit for hours in front of my computer or playing video games, loathe to do any actual work?

Part of me seriously hopes so!

Dragon Believer

So you only have to look at the date here on on the post immediately below to figure out that a lot has happened. Let me try to sum up the last, oh two years or so as briefly as possible.

July 06
-Moved to Atlanta. Secured apartment and job within two weeks.
August - October 06
-Job sucked major ass. Quit within 2 months.
-Took bartending course and became a professional bartender at a very upscale country club. Enjoyed it a lot!
December 06
-Dan graduates from Grad school with his MPH. Begins job hunt.
January 07
-Got a cat! All black, named Onyx.
June 07
-Dan joins USPHS Commissioned Corps and secures job at FDA.
-Commence another move. This time, to Maryland.
October 07
-Secured a job as an Editorial Assistant for a medical journal.
-The job kicks so much ass it cannot be put into so few lines.
December 07
-Commence one final move, this time only fifteen minutes away. But it is to a house instead of an apartment, and fifteen minutes closer to both of our jobs. This makes a drastic difference when you add in traffic.
March 08
-Wedding! We were married in Maine (my home state) on the Ides of March.
-Honeymoon! We honeymooned in the Canary Islands.
April 08
-Birthday... turned 24 o_O
May 08
-Now. All caught up. Dan is at his Officer Training Course, and I am preparing to be sent to San Diego for a medical conference.

That's it in a nutshell.

Mrs. Dragon Believer

         So the big move to Atlanta is only a week away. o_O Panic. Lots and lots of panic. I have to finish up with my packing and then once I'm there, everything is a big question mark. As a result, I'm likely going to be away from WDC for a while. At least until things get settled into something vaguely resembling order. >_>

         I'll miss this place while I'm gone, but I do hope to be back soon. Wish me luck. ^_^

                                                  Dragon Believer
 

         It's finally all coming together. My car is outfitted with a trailer hitch, I've reserved the U-Haul, I've confirmed the living arrangements (good through the month of August), I have a job interview lined up for the day after I arrive in Atlanta, and I've been researching apartments in the area. o_O

         And my galbladder is officially history! I had it removed at the very end of June and now I'm almost completely recovered. Just four little healing cuts and a whole lot less pain. w00t! Ice cream, here I come!

                                                  Dragon Believer
 

         Ok, so life has been enjoying jerking me around lately, but thankfully some good is starting to be thrown in with the bad. Unfortunately, there is still some bad floating around.

The Uber Bad
         I'm very saddened to report that my Memere (my paternal grandmother) is not doing so well right now. She's been having trouble walking, getting short of breath, and losing her appitite (very unlike her... she usually eats more than my dad). The doctors said her lymphnodes (sp?) seem to be draining things into her ankle, which is really bad. They're suggesting chemo therapy, but my Memere really doesn't want that. She's 85. She went through chemo ten years ago, and it was impressive that she survived it at 75! My dad has informed me that I should do my best to see her before I move to Atlanta, because I may not have another chance.

The Looking-Up
         I had a surgical consultation for my gallbladder today, and the doctor informed me that they were pretty muched booked for a month solid, but they just had a cancellation, so they would see if they could get be in then. And guess what. The cancellation was for this coming Thursday. So rock on! So the gallbladder will be history on Thursday, which means I am so eating ice cream (real ice cream) as soon as I recover, which should be like two days.

         Also, Daniel pointed this out to me today: http://dragoncon.org Go ahead... touch it! Um, can you say 'hell yeah!"? HELL YEAH! We're so totally going, since we'll both be in Atlanta by then. And for any fans of Firefly out there, check out the guest list! Yes, that is Adam Baldwin (Jayne), Summer Glau (River) and Alan Tudyk (Wash)! *melts*

         So yes, that is all for now. I will keep people posted, as always. But any prayers or other types of well-wishings for my Memere would be greatly appreciated.

                                                  Dragon Believer
 

         I've now been an official college graduate for three weeks, and I must admit it's been really weird. I still don't know what I'm doing after the summer, but this is what I know so far:

         I will be moving to Atlanta, GA during the first week of August. I will move in temporarily with my friends who will soon be moving to Belgium, and I will begin looking for an apartment while (hopefully) doing job interviews that I (hopefully) will have set up for when I get there. I will take pictures of the apartments I look at and email them to Daniel, who will still be working at the GAO in DC, and we will (hopefully) decide on a place together. I will (hopefully) have moved in to our new apartment when Daniel arrives toward the end of August.

         I know, that's an awful lot of "hopefully"s wedged in there, but you know, that's just how things are right now. And anyway, I'm an optimist, so "hopefully" never looks as troublesome to me as it probably should.

                                                  Dragon Believer
 

         Just three days away from graduation. Hard to believe, but I think I'm ready. I have quite a bit of packing left to do, but I think I'll take care of most of it today before the rest of my apartment-mates get back and make things difficult. My grades came in, and they were more or less what I was expecting, so no problems there. I got a C+ in my evil class of doom, but that wasn't a surprise and at least I never have to deal with her again which makes me smile.

         So, Dan's family comes up tomorrow, my friend, Matt, and my family will arrive (seperately) on Saturday, Sunday I walk across the stage, and Monday I go home for a couple months. I can't wait for all this to be done.

                                                  Dragon Believer