i would post pics...

but i think that that would be pointless. haha.

i'm at the in-house VT/peds rotation which is a little more painful than i anticipated it would be. Mostly because i'm not exactly "rah rah" about VT and the hours are CRAZY. the addition of the 3rd years was a welcome relief and we all went from seeing 3-4 pts per session to about 1. the 3rd years are awesome and it's a lot of fun to be able to help them out and realize, "hey, i guess i know emr better than i thought."

some advice to those of you who will be taking the peds entrance exam in the following quarters: it's much more difficult and random than you'd think it'd be. some random things i remember:
1. know that we test color vision in peds with the "Waggoner color test made easy."
2. how to do mohindra ret: that it's for distance Rx, in the Dark, at 50 cm, monocular, etc
3. how to do MEM
4. what kind of deficits you'd image for

bottom-line: study from crystal and tamy's notes and you should be ok.

hm, what else? i went to go see shakespeare in the park! it's "hamlet" right now and it was awesome. those of you in ny should definitely try to make it out to a showing.

see some of you in seattle! gina's going to bring home the trophy, i just know it. :)

Tucson #2

What to do on the weekends????

Our first weekend here we decided to explore the mountains that surround Tucson. We were told that there are some amazing places to see sunrises and sets. Rob and I are both not morning people so we opted to see a sunset.




It is Rob's turn to drive the convertible, especially since I don't like driving in unfamiliar places. He insists to always have the top down when he drives. I am thinking he wants a new convertible for his graduation present!

Here we are at Gates Pass in the Saguaro Mountains.

The sunset was amazing!!!!!! The view changes so much every way you turn. It is hard to decide weather you should just sit in one place and enjoy the sunset or run around to as many different spot just so you can see if from as many angles as possible. We chose to do a little of both. Rob and I are actually sitting on the same exact rock but the the pictures look completely different.

As for the VA, everything is going good. The pace is hectic but the supervisors are really nice and very willing to help. They are really concerned about teaching and make it a point to tell you if one of the other students/residents have something interesting. Their policy is that if you are at a good stopping then feel free to go and see whatever the interesting case is. So far in clinic I have seen severe POHS, bilateral uveitis, sub conj heme, CRVO, and I got to epilate a lash. It has been a busy two weeks.

Hope this wasn't too boring.
Until next time,
Clarissa

Port Hueneme, California

Hello! I am in Ventura County, which is 1 hr north of LA and 45 mins south of Santa Barbara. I currently live on the base for free. I have a suite in the bachelor's quarters. It's relatively nice, I get a small living room, kitchen, dining area, bathroom, and bedroom with a full sized bed. The bad news is that the room was built post WWII so it's practically bomb resistant with concrete walls and steal doors.... which means cell phone signals barely get through. I have to put my phone right next to the window and use a blue tooth. The base is next to the beach so after work I can drive out to the beach and watch the sunset and lay out to read, which is nice.

In clinic I am working with one OD and one tech most of the time. There are 2 exam lanes and patients are scheduled every 30 mins, however there are no shows sometimes and unfilled appointment slots so it's not as intensive as it seems. Also if I'm behind, my OD takes my next patient. Everyone is really nice and helpful. So far one day I saw 8 pts, another I saw 4... so patient load varies. You see all types of patients, tons of sph and toric SCL, conjunctivitis, pingueculitis, GLC, post lasik,... I'm seen patients from 8-92 yo! I get to see my own pt dx, assess, treat. I have a tech that does all of the special testing like VF, photos, pachy.

You definitely need a car b/c you'll feel crippled and totally lonely.

Week 1. Tucson, AZ

The first week out in the "real world" done! Tucson is crazy hot. After a week of painful learning, I've finally mastered the art of two finger driving b/c my black steering wheel burns anything it touches. It's also crazy dry here; I can feel the moisture getting sucked out of my contacts the moment they touch my eyes.

Tucson is pretty small. We can basically get anywhere we want: mountains, stores, swimming pools, the VA within 15-20 minutes. So here it is; me and Clarissa's first week.


It looks a little less kept than the picture portrays, but the house we're subletting ain't bad: 3 br, 2 full baths. Nice pool in the backyard. All the houses here are adobe type houses with some kind of pink pastel paint. Front lawns consist of cactii. And if you're rich, you get grass or palm trees.






And this is the painting we found in the living room...












This is the southern VA in Tucson. Is it a Spanish mission, or is it a hospital?








The weekend! Now, when's the last time any of you guys have been to a drive-in theater? And with a convertible to boot? that's right, Clarissa is a proud owner of a Mistubishi Eclipse convertible! Actually, the owner of the house we're renting from is awesome nice, and told Clarissa she could use the car during the summer. You don't know how many times I'm going to be driving down the canyon roads, top down.




And, I've been through my first dust devil! I was standing on a pool deck, and all of a sudden, this huge gust of wind and dust came tearing thru the pool. Papers and kickboards were flying, and the umbrella over the lifeguard's chair fell into the pool. 10 seconds later, nothing. CRAZY.

til later, because volleyball calls for me, and b/c Clarissa wants to add too.

peace,
Rob

Welcome 2009!

Hey everyone! Talking to our newfound SCCO buddies here in Tucson, we were inspired by their class' idea for a extern blog. So, join up everyone, and include whatever you want on your travels: stories, pics, videos!

And don't worry, if you're at SUNY right now, post away and keep us updated on how NY is doing!

- Rob and Clarissa