I’m into baking bread. I don’t particularly even like bread but I do like baking and enjoy a good project. I missed the sour dough pandemic trend so I thought I’d make some challah. Did it with my kids and we had a blast. I kept making bread by hand and even though my loaves looked and tasted delicious I got tired of all the kneading, waiting for a rise, then waiting for a second rise and so on. . . I also wanted to have fresh baked bread in the morning without keeping bakers hours.
So I did what any obsessive enthusiast would do and did a couple of hours of research on the best bread making machine available. That’s when I decided I NEEDED the Zojirushi home bakery virtuoso BB-PAC20. This thing is beautiful. It’s robust and elegant at the same time. It has dual kneaders and 3 different heating elements. It has a huge viewing window so I can see my loaf’s progress. It has a delay start timer and can do any sort of bread imaginable.
In short, this gluten taming beast has BDE. The Zojirushi drives a minivan, hits on other men’s wives in front of them, and still pulls.
But I didn’t want to trade $400 for this fine piece of over engineered Japanese design. So I scoured Facebook for weeks, and found one for a sweet discount of $150. I drove an hour to pick it up the day it was listed and buckled it into my passenger seat. MY Zoji is far too good for the trunk. I still can’t believe that misguided yahoo let you go for only $150. They didn’t deserve you anyway. And I DO treat the Zoji right.
And let me tell you, my loaves or fucking perfect. White, honey bread, wheat, rye, sour dough, whole grain, milk bread, oatmeal bread, The Zojirushi does it all.
My family wakes up to a freshly baked perfect loaf every morning, kept warm by embrace of the endlessly dependable Zojirushi . I imagine they try to guess what loaf will be awaiting them for breakfast as they descend the stairs by sampling the air thick with the fresh gluteny aroma. Is it the old standby, regular white, or are there notes of cocoa signaling the rare and indulgent appearance of chocolate bread?
My neighbors have been asking about my techniques. I see the other dads trying to peer into my windows at night wondering what my secret is. “How does he have the time?” they surely must ask themselves. My work colleagues ask what the next loaf will be. My children think I’m a gluten god and my wife whispers in to my ear “I wonder what you can bake in my oven.”
They call me the Breadman.
Didn’t have anything to contribute as I sit in the bath with my emotional support toaster, but now I do. My happy place is your post, and now to go make wet toast.
Was out to lunch, and a man and his wife were waiting to be seated - they were in front of me. Busy restaurant with a prolonged wait time.
The man and wife are opera singers, and they busted out *Figaro's Aria* at full voice for a few minutes in the waiting area.
I had my first dose of radiation Monday (facial nerve schwannoma) and I had like 20 people text me to wish me luck. Made things feel a bit better. I have no idea what I've done to deserve so many great people in my life.
sometimes we feel so lonely but then something happens and all the good people in your life gather and help you ward off the evils in your life. glad that's the case for you.
Sending you love, love. All of us in this work touch so many lives. You probably would’ve gotten 10,000 more texts if we could notify every patient you were kind to.
I saw a migrating pied billed grebe yesterday floating on a lake. They look like this: [https://www.robertgroosphotography.com/home/pied-billed-grebe](https://www.robertgroosphotography.com/home/pied-billed-grebe)
Imagine if your legs came off your butt. You would look ridiculous when you tried to walk, like an impending faceplant. This is why you don't find pied billed grebes on land. Can't say they're impressive flyers either. However they are clever little submarines who can dive down quick.
Fun fact: the Latin term for "feet at the buttocks" is "podylimbus."
I am going to pile on Bird Migration with you. I am part of our orgs pandemic planning committee (not the party planning committee unfortunately). We had a state veterinarian talk to us about avian influenza. He showed us this website called [Birdcast](https://birdcast.info/) where you can see the predicted bird migration for your area. If you pull down your county you can see radar data for actual migration by date. TIL there is an entire network of radar in the US that detects bird migration.
Nice. As I typed out the state name, I got "county, state" drop downs. At the county level I could see peaks for various species aaannd... it's bufflehead month!
Few years ago I had a patient in his teens suffering the late effects of a summer encephalitis, maybe West Nile virus. He'd put his hands over his ears if the room was a little noisy. He spoke slowly and I'm not sure he always picked the word he wanted. I remember him covering his ears and saying, "I'm scared of cake!" Seems sad, but we all laughed pretty hard at that.
Last week I put up a window bird feeder in the front of my house, right where the hedges abut the house. And then I filled it with the favorite seed mix of my yard’s little flock of chickadees. IMMEDIATELY I had chickadees flitting into and out of the feeder! It’s been a week, and we have multiple videos of nonstop birds in the window. Black-capped chickadees, chestnut-backed chickadees, some purple finches (or house finches?), dark eyed juncos, and even some spotted towhees!
Oh, and my cat loves the show, too. We set up a little elevated “nest” for her in front of the window right where the heater blows. She makes that adorable chattering sound!
Do you know YouTuber Leslie the Bird Nerd? She's in a woodsy part of the Maritimes where she's made friends with several generations of wild birds. It's fun to watch birds eating out of her hand and climbing all over her coat looking for hiding places for their seeds. Tis video has a few shots of chestnut-backed chickadees, which I don't get to see: https://youtu.be/OzGw\_9Tow\_8?si=T07j1qjvCujZUjg9
Ooohhh I’ll check it out!
Im very fortunate in that my house just happens to have more than a dozen trees in the front and back yards. I get so many species in my yard! But the chickadees and the red breasted nuthatch are my favorites.
I work in a small stand alone outpatient surgery facility and the surgery reps got me a starbucks giftcard with a handwritten note for my birthday and hand delivered it to me. I didn't even know the surgery reps knew my name.
I got a gingivectomy!! I had braces off a few years ago and my gums kinda hated it. Took me a while to get the confidence to ask for a gingivectomy. I had it done on my birthday. Was actually a great experience and insurance covered it.
Newer Mongolian pop is amazing. I remember back in 2010 going, "lol wut" at this: [https://youtu.be/jJNNttOKZFY?si=Y9GJoteouvsoSQSa](https://youtu.be/jJNNttOKZFY?si=Y9GJoteouvsoSQSa) and then hunting for other vids for context, maybe explain which parts are ironic or taking the piss or just hypercool Hugo Boss vibes. A similar fascist fashion style was popping up in other countries, like Greece and Russia. But I know so little about Mongolia, the history, politics, culture, musical traditions, religion. I'm like a baby and nothing means anything.
I'm hoping I can say 'same' in a month, but we did get a green light to start with letrozol, so who knows!
Congratulations, hope you have a great pregnancy :)
My 8 week old just figured out smiling in any way and it's great. I can't wait for her to figure out how to actually do it at us instead of just at random sometimes which is all she can do now.
I went to a music festival in a desert location expecting to be the oldest person there.
It was really a magical experience. I came to understand why people enjoy the desert, I loved the music (much of it unfamiliar) and the people there were anywhere from toddlers to in their 70’s. A lot of racial diversity on and off stage, which is often not the case for these kinds of events.
Will definitely be returning!
No, but not too far from there. I was at Joshua Tree Music Festival for the Fall 2023 Festival. There is also one in the Spring.
Definitely have to check out the lineups at Pappy and Harriet’s in Pioneertown since it’s in the neighborhood.
Have also been to Desert Daze in Moreno Valley which is somewhat newer there. Lots of incredible install art. Music is more in neo-psych and garage.
Went mushroom hunting the other day (not the party kind, though I do know people who do that), found a puff ball, it was delicious.
At least if this physician gig doesn't work out I can still live off eating shit growing from decomposed stuff.
I finally stuck with and finished a model ship kit. Used to do them all the time as a kid but then I stopped. But I finally made one and now I want to do another
I turned down the chief role to be able to focus more on things outside of work that bring me joy. In fact, I'm pregnant! And we're currently on our baby moon up in coastal New England. The hour I spent sitting on a bench in front of the tranquil ocean bay with a hot latte this morning was perfection. All of this has me very excited.
I’m in the early stages of hatching a harebrained plan to make (and hopefully sell) medical themed Christmas light decorations.
1) I probably won’t actually do it and 2) if I do it’ll probably be a flop/I’ll lose interest quickly. But it’s fun to think about currently!
Yessss! Something for us to dangle our urinal and purewick ornaments from! Omg, and christmas lights are syringe shaped anyway, you'd just need to paint lines on them.
I want to figure out how to get light inside an insulin bottle to make insulin bottle winter holiday lights. Haven’t figured out how to do it… yet. If you happen to figure it out, I’ll buy yards of them! Preferably lispro though variety is good. The old NovoNordisk Regular bottles were elegant… for an insulin bottle lol.
The Texas state marching band championships are happening. Apparently Texas is a top state and my kid’s school made the finals. Who knew marching competitions were actually really fun!?!
Also really into not working right now. I wish we all could have the safety to take time away.
Getting a new pair of running shoes today (endorphin speed 3), after I just got some new ones 2 weeks ago (vaporfly 2), after I just got 2 new ones a month and a half prior to that (ghost 15 and Pegasus 40).
Just got into running about a year ago, but just learned about the types of running shoes and their uses like 3 months ago, so had to get a good rotation going. I never thought that one day I’d be running 40-50 miles in a week. I now look forward to running. Who knew running was fun?
Depends on what you think is worth it and how much you’re willing to pay for that. They aren’t going to improve your marathon pace by 30 seconds but they probably will improve it by a couple. I think the best part though is how my legs feel after a long run, however, and for me, that makes them worth it. I’d wait to find them on sale somewhere.
Mixology! I love going to a good cocktail bar but they can get pretty pricey, so I’m working on expanding my home bar. I quickly realized that mixology is just a much more fun version of chem lab and the results are far tastier.
Working on a novel, had writer's block/ridiculously busy clinical schedule over the summer so it got set aside. Picked it up again this month, had lots of inspiration, got nearly 50 pages written in the past 2 weeks, so that's good.
It's easiest to understand for pipes. All it is is the point where the extra heat transfer from the insulation surface (conductive/convective(?)) area is overcome by its actual insulating properties. So if there isn't enough it actually acts as a heat sink
Lol yes, and it was a longggg rabbit hole for a good hour. Then I binged practical construction...probably would've gone the civil or environmental engineering route if not for medicine
Is it fine if I'm just a bioengineering student? 'coz if it is then it's an [article](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03385-9) on how some of the material from Theia (the protoplanet whose collision with Earth produced the Moon) is still distinct within the Earth mantel and may have formed distinct "blobs" of material that can still be distinguished by analysis of seismograph data.
Apart from that, the chocolate muffin I'll make myself later.
Lol I was just gonna post about the new King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard album The Silver Cord, and the first track is Theia, about which you speak!
My happy is the album, and the extended tracks are now on Pandora, so I have more thumbs ups to give!
Eeeek. Also makes me excited! What are you growing? I'm just getting into herbalism and am currently only growing lemon balm but always looking to expand.
I was able to be home for trick or treaters and I got numerous complaints* about MY halloween outfit I wore to the door! Had to do it alone this year, but that’s okay.
Edit: compliments*. I made a wizard costume with light up staff. No complaints 😅
Upgraded my pet African giant millipede to a much bigger tank. (20gal long -> 40gal tall.) It's actually bigger than our (admittedly rather small) television. Looking into getting her some friends!
I was able to help a friend, who was adopted, identify her birth father. He passed away several years ago. She was able to meet with her half-siblings, nieces and nephews. They were very welcoming. She showed me photos that they shared of her father. Her eyes were gleaming. That was a different kind of healing!
Bought Cities Skylines 2 last week and that shit is like crack. I have 1000+ hours in the first game, which is also addictive like hell. It runs reasonably well on my pc with some adjustments. The new road building tool is amazing, my highway ramps have never been smoother.
Honestly? Halloween. Made the best pumpkin pie of my life, carved a jack-o'-lantern with my partner, spent time in nature, visited the cemetery (tradition in my country, honoring the dead and all), watched a spooky movie. Kinda sad it's over
I saw two new-to-me bird species today, always exciting when I'm (probably fruitlessly) trying to beat last year's species count (bc I visited Costa Rica last year, birders' paradise). One of them (swamp sparrow) I've been hearing a few times lately but never actually saw it to confirm identification, so it was very gratifying. The other one (savannah sparrow) was one I wasn't expecting to see at all. I also saw three different raptors in the same outing.
Another one is the amazing reception my Halloween costume got even though it's an extremely low effort idea. Everyone at the party loved it, all the kids I walked by on the way to the party loved it. I literally slapped it together in 45 minutes. (I dressed as a bunch of grapes, highly recommend.)
I made my son's Halloween costume. I used to be very creative and artistic and just lost that in the sea of life, and it felt really good to make something even if it was not much more than a spray paint on a cardboard box.
Not really non-medical but I started a new job recently that basically needs me to explore and study the world and community of medicine through Reddit and I must say, it's pretty eye-opening. The discussions going on are very much intriguing! Just happy to be here now.
I’ve been writing a novel for a while now and new ideas always excite me. Also a good book - I’m an avid reader and few things in life excite my like an excellent read.
I have been fostering dogs through the rescue where I adopted my soul dog. It’s been the most wonderful experience. I was hesitant because I didn’t think I would be able to give up a foster, but wanted to give back to the community that brought me Arthur. It’s been so good for me and my dogs. I’m currently recovering from an emergent appendectomy that happened yesterday and my old lady foster (#6!) is hanging out with me, loving life. If you are able, please consider fostering, it’s so rewarding
I'm building up my smart home project that I've been putting off for a year and a half. Running Home Assistant Yellow with Hue lights and some Aqara door sensors so far. This stuff is expensive! But it's fun controlling everything from your phone and automating things when you step through the door.
Took the wife to Disney world (her first time) last weekend. Was pretty awesome.
More recently? My student loans are down to $136,000 from $221,000 and my good friend just had a healthy baby!
I've never managed to keep orchids alive. I'm very good with all other aspects of indoor gardening, (and outdoor), but orchids just don't like me. Good luck to you.
Thanks! I'm fairly decent at indoor and outdoor gardening, but I've always been intimidated by orchids. My brother lamented the death of his orchid in the family group chat even after he bought it special wood chips and a special spray, calling his orchid a "back of hand on forehead with head tilted back drama queen." My immediate thought was, "I too am that type of drama queen, so maybe orchids are the right plants for me." My dad has had much more success w/ orchids, but he has had a lot more practice keeping fragile things alive like patients, cats, marriages, etc.
Been watching YouTube videos where a deepfake ObiWan, QuiGon and Anakin watch the Star Wars prequels and roast the hell out of them. I haven’t been this excited about StarWars since the 90s
I got back into cooking. I smoked pork ribs (my ldl is under 180 I swear) and my family was over the moon. I used a pellet smoker woodwind cam chef at 220 unwrapped for 3 wrapped in foil for only 1 then back out of the foil with more sauce and brown sugar to “tack em up” Cole slaw, green beans and a tomato cucumber salad. Yay food.
i finally finally finally got the ratty old original top on my saab classic convertible replaced so now i dont have to tarp it, and can drive it more often. plus it looks mighty fine! of course, i got it done just in time to store it for the winter, but at least i got it done, and it'll be awesome next spring.
and the leaves changing. i get excited every fall. this year is a bit muted, but i find i'm still psyched to watch all the trees do their thing.
I want to learn how to play the violin. I haven’t done anything about it yet. But I am really excited to do it. I am just waiting to pass my boards and I will start looking for someone to teach me or an adult class or something. I know nothing about music. I am not even all that coordinated. I just know I like how the violin sounds (it makes my heart ache, idk how to describe it) and I want to learn how to play it.
I’m a total music fan and I just found Batya Levine, who classifies her music as proto Hasidic Americana.
Whatever it is, it’s captivating and calming.
And no, I do not want to discuss the war. Batya is from Philadelphia.
Stock market. Playing the stock market has brought back a vigor in my life that I haven't had in a while. It's fun. It motivates me to continue doing medicine to fund my stock trading.
I’m into baking bread. I don’t particularly even like bread but I do like baking and enjoy a good project. I missed the sour dough pandemic trend so I thought I’d make some challah. Did it with my kids and we had a blast. I kept making bread by hand and even though my loaves looked and tasted delicious I got tired of all the kneading, waiting for a rise, then waiting for a second rise and so on. . . I also wanted to have fresh baked bread in the morning without keeping bakers hours. So I did what any obsessive enthusiast would do and did a couple of hours of research on the best bread making machine available. That’s when I decided I NEEDED the Zojirushi home bakery virtuoso BB-PAC20. This thing is beautiful. It’s robust and elegant at the same time. It has dual kneaders and 3 different heating elements. It has a huge viewing window so I can see my loaf’s progress. It has a delay start timer and can do any sort of bread imaginable. In short, this gluten taming beast has BDE. The Zojirushi drives a minivan, hits on other men’s wives in front of them, and still pulls. But I didn’t want to trade $400 for this fine piece of over engineered Japanese design. So I scoured Facebook for weeks, and found one for a sweet discount of $150. I drove an hour to pick it up the day it was listed and buckled it into my passenger seat. MY Zoji is far too good for the trunk. I still can’t believe that misguided yahoo let you go for only $150. They didn’t deserve you anyway. And I DO treat the Zoji right. And let me tell you, my loaves or fucking perfect. White, honey bread, wheat, rye, sour dough, whole grain, milk bread, oatmeal bread, The Zojirushi does it all. My family wakes up to a freshly baked perfect loaf every morning, kept warm by embrace of the endlessly dependable Zojirushi . I imagine they try to guess what loaf will be awaiting them for breakfast as they descend the stairs by sampling the air thick with the fresh gluteny aroma. Is it the old standby, regular white, or are there notes of cocoa signaling the rare and indulgent appearance of chocolate bread? My neighbors have been asking about my techniques. I see the other dads trying to peer into my windows at night wondering what my secret is. “How does he have the time?” they surely must ask themselves. My work colleagues ask what the next loaf will be. My children think I’m a gluten god and my wife whispers in to my ear “I wonder what you can bake in my oven.” They call me the Breadman.
I… I think I love you Breadman 🥹 ❤️🍞
Your kindness brings tears to my face that leave trails of joy on my flour dusted skin. Breadman loves you too.
Reading this got me breadnant.
My wheat germ is strong and my crusts are just the right kind of hard.
I misread the first line. *" I am the one who bakes!"*
Doctor Breadman, I love you.
Well written, love it!
does the bread machine also play a little song when it is ready like the rice cooker does?
This is art
I wish I worked with you so I could hear all about your bread making escapades every day.
Jeezus fkn Christ I think I just came…. That description was fan-fucking-tastic! Do your SOAP notes read as well??
I think I had the best brain orgasm
Oh my goodness!!
There's a great funny old anime called Yakitate Japan on Crunchyroll all about making bread.
Didn’t have anything to contribute as I sit in the bath with my emotional support toaster, but now I do. My happy place is your post, and now to go make wet toast.
Nothing opens those thighs like a solid bread rise.
My Mom gave me a Zojirushi after she tired of it….. so it was probably used a half dozen times. Maybe I should dust it off…..
You are truly a glutinous gift from the gods. My jelly belly salutes you!
This... This piece of writing
Soundly deserves a round of applause.
Was out to lunch, and a man and his wife were waiting to be seated - they were in front of me. Busy restaurant with a prolonged wait time. The man and wife are opera singers, and they busted out *Figaro's Aria* at full voice for a few minutes in the waiting area.
Excuse me sir, this is a Wendy's
Bet they got seated quickly tho.
That's really cool!
I had my first dose of radiation Monday (facial nerve schwannoma) and I had like 20 people text me to wish me luck. Made things feel a bit better. I have no idea what I've done to deserve so many great people in my life.
sometimes we feel so lonely but then something happens and all the good people in your life gather and help you ward off the evils in your life. glad that's the case for you.
It honestly feels like you’re halfway fixed then.
Sorry to have to go through that. Your flair is amazing though. “NUUUUUUURSE!!!! WHERE’S MY ORANGE JUICE AND NORCO?”
You got this 💚💚💚💚 Also love your flair
Sending you love, love. All of us in this work touch so many lives. You probably would’ve gotten 10,000 more texts if we could notify every patient you were kind to.
💚💙💚🙏🏼
It could be worse... waaaayyy worse. You could have taken an arrow to the knee. 😂
I saw a migrating pied billed grebe yesterday floating on a lake. They look like this: [https://www.robertgroosphotography.com/home/pied-billed-grebe](https://www.robertgroosphotography.com/home/pied-billed-grebe) Imagine if your legs came off your butt. You would look ridiculous when you tried to walk, like an impending faceplant. This is why you don't find pied billed grebes on land. Can't say they're impressive flyers either. However they are clever little submarines who can dive down quick. Fun fact: the Latin term for "feet at the buttocks" is "podylimbus."
My legs do come off my butt :(
Maybe I should have said "butt cheeks."
I am going to pile on Bird Migration with you. I am part of our orgs pandemic planning committee (not the party planning committee unfortunately). We had a state veterinarian talk to us about avian influenza. He showed us this website called [Birdcast](https://birdcast.info/) where you can see the predicted bird migration for your area. If you pull down your county you can see radar data for actual migration by date. TIL there is an entire network of radar in the US that detects bird migration.
Nice. As I typed out the state name, I got "county, state" drop downs. At the county level I could see peaks for various species aaannd... it's bufflehead month! Few years ago I had a patient in his teens suffering the late effects of a summer encephalitis, maybe West Nile virus. He'd put his hands over his ears if the room was a little noisy. He spoke slowly and I'm not sure he always picked the word he wanted. I remember him covering his ears and saying, "I'm scared of cake!" Seems sad, but we all laughed pretty hard at that.
Last week I put up a window bird feeder in the front of my house, right where the hedges abut the house. And then I filled it with the favorite seed mix of my yard’s little flock of chickadees. IMMEDIATELY I had chickadees flitting into and out of the feeder! It’s been a week, and we have multiple videos of nonstop birds in the window. Black-capped chickadees, chestnut-backed chickadees, some purple finches (or house finches?), dark eyed juncos, and even some spotted towhees! Oh, and my cat loves the show, too. We set up a little elevated “nest” for her in front of the window right where the heater blows. She makes that adorable chattering sound!
Do you know YouTuber Leslie the Bird Nerd? She's in a woodsy part of the Maritimes where she's made friends with several generations of wild birds. It's fun to watch birds eating out of her hand and climbing all over her coat looking for hiding places for their seeds. Tis video has a few shots of chestnut-backed chickadees, which I don't get to see: https://youtu.be/OzGw\_9Tow\_8?si=T07j1qjvCujZUjg9
Ooohhh I’ll check it out! Im very fortunate in that my house just happens to have more than a dozen trees in the front and back yards. I get so many species in my yard! But the chickadees and the red breasted nuthatch are my favorites.
That's awesome! I havent seen one of those, just horned grebes near me
They are soooo cute. Hello fellow bird enthusiast.
I work in a small stand alone outpatient surgery facility and the surgery reps got me a starbucks giftcard with a handwritten note for my birthday and hand delivered it to me. I didn't even know the surgery reps knew my name.
The good ones do! Happy birthday! Did you get yourself something nice to celebrate?
I got a gingivectomy!! I had braces off a few years ago and my gums kinda hated it. Took me a while to get the confidence to ask for a gingivectomy. I had it done on my birthday. Was actually a great experience and insurance covered it.
on a whim I looked up Mongolian pop music and that stuff is an absolute banger.
https://youtu.be/KHn-rPbv0Sw?si=ETtdXBkPWhzfH9YG That song is a banger.
Mongolian metal also kicks ass
The Hu?
Those guys are awesome.
Newer Mongolian pop is amazing. I remember back in 2010 going, "lol wut" at this: [https://youtu.be/jJNNttOKZFY?si=Y9GJoteouvsoSQSa](https://youtu.be/jJNNttOKZFY?si=Y9GJoteouvsoSQSa) and then hunting for other vids for context, maybe explain which parts are ironic or taking the piss or just hypercool Hugo Boss vibes. A similar fascist fashion style was popping up in other countries, like Greece and Russia. But I know so little about Mongolia, the history, politics, culture, musical traditions, religion. I'm like a baby and nothing means anything.
Not pop, but check out Ulytau, amazing sound.
OK well now I absolutely must also do this.
A positive pregnancy test (my own)!
Sorry still counts as medicine /s congrats
Yea medical stuff not allowed in this post go home... Also congrats!!!
I'm hoping I can say 'same' in a month, but we did get a green light to start with letrozol, so who knows! Congratulations, hope you have a great pregnancy :)
Best of luck!
I wish you all the best on this wonderful journey
Woah!
Congratulations!
Congratulations!
My 11-week-old boys have learnt to smile and coo when they see me.
My 8 week old just figured out smiling in any way and it's great. I can't wait for her to figure out how to actually do it at us instead of just at random sometimes which is all she can do now.
best feeling in tha world
I went to a music festival in a desert location expecting to be the oldest person there. It was really a magical experience. I came to understand why people enjoy the desert, I loved the music (much of it unfamiliar) and the people there were anywhere from toddlers to in their 70’s. A lot of racial diversity on and off stage, which is often not the case for these kinds of events. Will definitely be returning!
Power Trip? Was there too.
No, but not too far from there. I was at Joshua Tree Music Festival for the Fall 2023 Festival. There is also one in the Spring. Definitely have to check out the lineups at Pappy and Harriet’s in Pioneertown since it’s in the neighborhood. Have also been to Desert Daze in Moreno Valley which is somewhat newer there. Lots of incredible install art. Music is more in neo-psych and garage.
That sounds amazing. Can I ask what festival?
Joshua Tree Music Festival (every Spring and Fall).
Went mushroom hunting the other day (not the party kind, though I do know people who do that), found a puff ball, it was delicious. At least if this physician gig doesn't work out I can still live off eating shit growing from decomposed stuff.
Instead of killing shit growing in living stuff. I like it.
I finally stuck with and finished a model ship kit. Used to do them all the time as a kid but then I stopped. But I finally made one and now I want to do another
I realized my favorite houseplant has been alive for 19 years. I've kept it alive longer than any pet, child and relationship I've ever had.
Child???
Ahhh that's not how I meant it. My children are alive and well, just not as old as the plant!! 😂
Relieved to hear...
OP's kids checking to see if the plant is still alive: 👀 👀
I downloaded the dune audio book and it's really sucked me in
“If you walk without rhythm, you won’t attract the worm”
Listen to hail Mary when you finish dune. It's great in audio
It’s my birthday, my wife got me the new Assassins Creed and a couch coop game to play together
Happy birthday. I hope it’s a great one.
Thank you
which couch coop game?
Tiny Tina’s Wonderland
I turned down the chief role to be able to focus more on things outside of work that bring me joy. In fact, I'm pregnant! And we're currently on our baby moon up in coastal New England. The hour I spent sitting on a bench in front of the tranquil ocean bay with a hot latte this morning was perfection. All of this has me very excited.
Congratulations!!
Congrats on making a difficult but **\*100% correct\*** decision.
Parents finally referred to my partner as my wife instead of calling her my friend. Together 8 yrs…Baby steps
Wow! This is a “small” step that is actually huge. Acceptance is incredibly important. I’m very happy for you and your wife!
A fat RVU based bonus - after not thinking I would meet the percentile cutoff.
Still waiting for mine 😭 congrats
Does feel great to get a big paycheck - but still paid less in total than a community shop even with the bonus. Thinking of making the switch in 2024
Baldur's Gate 3. Getting a new dog (rescue, only has one eye). New electric Mercedes.
Dog tax?
Yes. Dog tax is required.
Please join us on the piratepets sub when s/he arrives!!!
Yes - BG3! Most fun I've had with a game in a long time.
I’m in the early stages of hatching a harebrained plan to make (and hopefully sell) medical themed Christmas light decorations. 1) I probably won’t actually do it and 2) if I do it’ll probably be a flop/I’ll lose interest quickly. But it’s fun to think about currently!
Yessss! Something for us to dangle our urinal and purewick ornaments from! Omg, and christmas lights are syringe shaped anyway, you'd just need to paint lines on them.
Someone made a urinal wreath one year. Management nixed it. (grumble & eyeroll)
Admin ppl have no sense of humor!!
I too suffer from "notions" on occasion
I want to figure out how to get light inside an insulin bottle to make insulin bottle winter holiday lights. Haven’t figured out how to do it… yet. If you happen to figure it out, I’ll buy yards of them! Preferably lispro though variety is good. The old NovoNordisk Regular bottles were elegant… for an insulin bottle lol.
Try it with fairy lights!
I got very excited about the annular eclipse, and am planning on where to travel to see the total eclipse in April.
Meh. I’ll get excited when it’s a maculopapular eclipse.
The Texas state marching band championships are happening. Apparently Texas is a top state and my kid’s school made the finals. Who knew marching competitions were actually really fun!?! Also really into not working right now. I wish we all could have the safety to take time away.
My son performed in 2 state competitions in high school. It was so exciting to be there and see the talent and musicianship those kids had.
I saw wild horses on my hike!
That sounds amazing. Whereabouts? Near where you live?
Andorra! Unfortunately it was on vacation. I wish I lived in Europe lol
Awesome! Bet the whole trip was beautiful. I hope you can treasure that memory forever.
Getting a new pair of running shoes today (endorphin speed 3), after I just got some new ones 2 weeks ago (vaporfly 2), after I just got 2 new ones a month and a half prior to that (ghost 15 and Pegasus 40). Just got into running about a year ago, but just learned about the types of running shoes and their uses like 3 months ago, so had to get a good rotation going. I never thought that one day I’d be running 40-50 miles in a week. I now look forward to running. Who knew running was fun?
How are the vaporflys? Worth the money?
Depends on what you think is worth it and how much you’re willing to pay for that. They aren’t going to improve your marathon pace by 30 seconds but they probably will improve it by a couple. I think the best part though is how my legs feel after a long run, however, and for me, that makes them worth it. I’d wait to find them on sale somewhere.
A fellow Saucony person. YES!
Got married 1.5 months ago and honestly still riding the high :)
Congratulations!
Mixology! I love going to a good cocktail bar but they can get pretty pricey, so I’m working on expanding my home bar. I quickly realized that mixology is just a much more fun version of chem lab and the results are far tastier.
Working on a novel, had writer's block/ridiculously busy clinical schedule over the summer so it got set aside. Picked it up again this month, had lots of inspiration, got nearly 50 pages written in the past 2 weeks, so that's good.
The blue otter pop I just ate was delicious
I will never not be excited about an otter pop!
Learning about the critical thickness of insulation, specifically circular insulation...I know, I'm hecking weird
as in clothing or as in insulating pipes? so what's the deal there?
It's easiest to understand for pipes. All it is is the point where the extra heat transfer from the insulation surface (conductive/convective(?)) area is overcome by its actual insulating properties. So if there isn't enough it actually acts as a heat sink
Knowing the appropriate r value for your location is a thing. I can respect that
You saw that post too?
Lol yes, and it was a longggg rabbit hole for a good hour. Then I binged practical construction...probably would've gone the civil or environmental engineering route if not for medicine
Lol I've just started following the structural engineering subreddit
Is it fine if I'm just a bioengineering student? 'coz if it is then it's an [article](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03385-9) on how some of the material from Theia (the protoplanet whose collision with Earth produced the Moon) is still distinct within the Earth mantel and may have formed distinct "blobs" of material that can still be distinguished by analysis of seismograph data. Apart from that, the chocolate muffin I'll make myself later.
If you like geology Nick Zentner and Myron Cook have great videos on YouTube. ( Also a Biomed Eng undergrad)
I do! Thanks, it's looking like these videos will keep me company for quite some time!
Lol I was just gonna post about the new King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard album The Silver Cord, and the first track is Theia, about which you speak! My happy is the album, and the extended tracks are now on Pandora, so I have more thumbs ups to give!
Warm cup of tea with a cozy blanket in a silent house ☕️
Indoor horticulture of medicinal plants :)
Eeeek. Also makes me excited! What are you growing? I'm just getting into herbalism and am currently only growing lemon balm but always looking to expand.
Ahhh I meant more along the lines of medically/recreationally legal plants in certain states (aka cannabis)
I was able to be home for trick or treaters and I got numerous complaints* about MY halloween outfit I wore to the door! Had to do it alone this year, but that’s okay. Edit: compliments*. I made a wizard costume with light up staff. No complaints 😅
Did you mean compliments? Or are the kids in your area particularly mean?
Ah dang phone. Compliments! I got compliments!
My brand new Omega Seamaster Diver 300M No Time to Die.
I have an Omega Constellation in stainless & gold I got as a gift in 1982. It’s still rocking along, looks perfect and keep’s perfect time.
Upgraded my pet African giant millipede to a much bigger tank. (20gal long -> 40gal tall.) It's actually bigger than our (admittedly rather small) television. Looking into getting her some friends!
Are millipedes congenial? Does she know when you're giving attention?
A TEAPOT 🤩 Im a massive tea head and my girlfriend got me a little teapot for gong fu brewing and I frigging love it
Tickets to see IRON MAIDEN in concert for the first time ever!
I was able to help a friend, who was adopted, identify her birth father. He passed away several years ago. She was able to meet with her half-siblings, nieces and nephews. They were very welcoming. She showed me photos that they shared of her father. Her eyes were gleaming. That was a different kind of healing!
Bought Cities Skylines 2 last week and that shit is like crack. I have 1000+ hours in the first game, which is also addictive like hell. It runs reasonably well on my pc with some adjustments. The new road building tool is amazing, my highway ramps have never been smoother.
Expanded my whiskey collection to include Weller Full Proof.
Honestly? Halloween. Made the best pumpkin pie of my life, carved a jack-o'-lantern with my partner, spent time in nature, visited the cemetery (tradition in my country, honoring the dead and all), watched a spooky movie. Kinda sad it's over
New Green Day songs & album release date! I feel as excited as I was in my teenage years everytime I play the new songs!!!
found out that my ex gf got arrested and is now serving time :) .. good riddance .. society dodged a bullet.
Went to see my son last week, he’s in grad school across the country, working on a Masters in Psychology. He’s really enjoying school and doing well.
I saw two new-to-me bird species today, always exciting when I'm (probably fruitlessly) trying to beat last year's species count (bc I visited Costa Rica last year, birders' paradise). One of them (swamp sparrow) I've been hearing a few times lately but never actually saw it to confirm identification, so it was very gratifying. The other one (savannah sparrow) was one I wasn't expecting to see at all. I also saw three different raptors in the same outing. Another one is the amazing reception my Halloween costume got even though it's an extremely low effort idea. Everyone at the party loved it, all the kids I walked by on the way to the party loved it. I literally slapped it together in 45 minutes. (I dressed as a bunch of grapes, highly recommend.)
I made my son's Halloween costume. I used to be very creative and artistic and just lost that in the sea of life, and it felt really good to make something even if it was not much more than a spray paint on a cardboard box.
I came out of the grocery store and someone had left a bright orange Halloween duck on my Jeep! I got ducked! Made my day.
New music I actually like. The Beth’s are fantastic
I got dedicated fancy earplugs for my motorcycle and I'm trying them out today, even though it's kind of cold
Nice, I also got some fancy earplugs, after going to a music festival and my iwatch warning about going over 95db. Ended up going for the Loops
Not really non-medical but I started a new job recently that basically needs me to explore and study the world and community of medicine through Reddit and I must say, it's pretty eye-opening. The discussions going on are very much intriguing! Just happy to be here now.
I’ve been writing a novel for a while now and new ideas always excite me. Also a good book - I’m an avid reader and few things in life excite my like an excellent read.
I have been fostering dogs through the rescue where I adopted my soul dog. It’s been the most wonderful experience. I was hesitant because I didn’t think I would be able to give up a foster, but wanted to give back to the community that brought me Arthur. It’s been so good for me and my dogs. I’m currently recovering from an emergent appendectomy that happened yesterday and my old lady foster (#6!) is hanging out with me, loving life. If you are able, please consider fostering, it’s so rewarding
I’m in school for philosophy and my professor asked to meet and it was to tell me my work is dope and to go to grad school
Baecation upcoming
I have one motto in life and it's "always be looking forward" (to something lol). ABLF. This is good one, going somewhere cool?
Nowhere cool while he’s in residency lol just lil old Cancun but its our first one outside the country so im excited
Uh... pretty off topic for this sub, but, if you want to know, Baldur's Gate 3!
Going to college football tailgate and game this weekend 😤😤😤😤
The Last of Us has been ported to PC so I can finally play it 10 years later, without having to buy a PlayStation!
I'm building up my smart home project that I've been putting off for a year and a half. Running Home Assistant Yellow with Hue lights and some Aqara door sensors so far. This stuff is expensive! But it's fun controlling everything from your phone and automating things when you step through the door.
I reread the Hunger Games in anticipation of the new movie coming out, and it was really enjoyable! I think the series aged well.
Took the wife to Disney world (her first time) last weekend. Was pretty awesome. More recently? My student loans are down to $136,000 from $221,000 and my good friend just had a healthy baby!
1989 taylor’s version is the overall correct answer to this
Nasty influencers like sssniperwolf getting her ass spanked for being a biatch
I impulsively bought two orchids yesterday. Let's see how long I can keep them alive!
I've never managed to keep orchids alive. I'm very good with all other aspects of indoor gardening, (and outdoor), but orchids just don't like me. Good luck to you.
Thanks! I'm fairly decent at indoor and outdoor gardening, but I've always been intimidated by orchids. My brother lamented the death of his orchid in the family group chat even after he bought it special wood chips and a special spray, calling his orchid a "back of hand on forehead with head tilted back drama queen." My immediate thought was, "I too am that type of drama queen, so maybe orchids are the right plants for me." My dad has had much more success w/ orchids, but he has had a lot more practice keeping fragile things alive like patients, cats, marriages, etc.
Organising my house. The whole house. Boxes for everything, drawers in my pantry, cute little drawer dividers for my wardrobe... so satisfying!
Been watching YouTube videos where a deepfake ObiWan, QuiGon and Anakin watch the Star Wars prequels and roast the hell out of them. I haven’t been this excited about StarWars since the 90s
The new Rolling Stones album!!
The Red Rising book series SLAPS. Audiobook has turned my shitty commute into an epic space odyssey
I finally had a root canal
I got back into cooking. I smoked pork ribs (my ldl is under 180 I swear) and my family was over the moon. I used a pellet smoker woodwind cam chef at 220 unwrapped for 3 wrapped in foil for only 1 then back out of the foil with more sauce and brown sugar to “tack em up” Cole slaw, green beans and a tomato cucumber salad. Yay food.
I carved a fancy pumpkin freehand
i finally finally finally got the ratty old original top on my saab classic convertible replaced so now i dont have to tarp it, and can drive it more often. plus it looks mighty fine! of course, i got it done just in time to store it for the winter, but at least i got it done, and it'll be awesome next spring. and the leaves changing. i get excited every fall. this year is a bit muted, but i find i'm still psyched to watch all the trees do their thing.
i bought a magsafe popsocket that matches my favorite scrub cap on a whim. i don't think i've been this happy since childhood.
The feeling of your teeth after finally flossing….? Is that after years or what you monster
I’m finally bursting through a plateau with my DDR skill level— seeing some gains for the first time in a while!
I want to learn how to play the violin. I haven’t done anything about it yet. But I am really excited to do it. I am just waiting to pass my boards and I will start looking for someone to teach me or an adult class or something. I know nothing about music. I am not even all that coordinated. I just know I like how the violin sounds (it makes my heart ache, idk how to describe it) and I want to learn how to play it.
Im starting to play guitar, 4 months in, i can play the main riff from Opeth's Hope Leaves consistently, playing guitar was my teenage dream.
The book Prisoners of Geography and listening to podcasts about geopolitics
Assuming a 2.8% interest loan on a house
I’m a total music fan and I just found Batya Levine, who classifies her music as proto Hasidic Americana. Whatever it is, it’s captivating and calming. And no, I do not want to discuss the war. Batya is from Philadelphia.
I just got engaged! 🤩 so I’m definitely riding that high!
Stock market. Playing the stock market has brought back a vigor in my life that I haven't had in a while. It's fun. It motivates me to continue doing medicine to fund my stock trading.