Back to my home!

In my world, home = ED!!!

Tonight I start back up in the ED for 2 weeks....YIPPEE!!!! On Friday I finished one month of OB, which involved 15 shifts of 5pm-7am and countless numbers of aliens shooting from vaginas. As most of you know, I am not a kid/infant/child person at all and this whole month just exponentially proved to me that I never will be! I also realized that I have little patience for women giving birth, especially teenagers who whine and bitch about how much it hurts...should have watched the Miracle of Life before you decided to put that uncovered penis in your vagina.

Below is a small sample of the most ridiculous things heard while rotating on OB:

1. "How did this happen??" Amazes me that women now a days don't understand how they can get pregnant...We are in the 21st Century...COME ON!!!

2. "Well, I haven't had sex with anyone in the last year, so I have no idea how I got that STD." This was said while the husband was in the room: he was more upset about her telling us that they didn't have sex than the fact that she had a sexually transmitted disease/and wondering where she got it...LOL!

3. "I don't care if I have an ectopic pregnancy, I am keeping it!!!" Of course, this was after we told her that she needed to have the pregnancy terminated or it could rupture and she could potentially die....she then proceeded to sign out AMA (against medical advice).

4. "But if I don't satisfy him, he will cheat on me like he did during my last pregnancy!" Patient's reply when she was told that because her water broke early at 26 weeks, she should not put anything in the vagina until she delivers.

5. "I really needed a cigarette and the patch is just not cutting it." Said by the patient who was caught by the nurse climbing back into the window of her room which happens to be on the 2nd floor of the hospital!!

6. "Just be gentle honey, I haven't used this thing in years!" Said by the 90 year old women who came to the ED complaining of vaginal bleeding...I totally laughed out loud, which in any other situation would probably be a giant no-no, but the patient was laughing with me so I think its ok.

Time to get ready for my ED shift!! I work 9pm-7am tonight and I am SO EXCITED!!! :)

?!@#$%

When did it become 2012????

Yes, I know it has been months since my last post. And you can be certain that after this one, I probably won't post again for another 6 months. Just how I blog.

I guess I should recap the past few months....I will be short.

- Trauma - great....glad its over

- Adult for 2 weeks - I <3 ED

- Vacation for 2 weeks - Michigan is nice! Hello friends and family!

- Adult - I <3 ED

- EMS for 2 weeks - I am so bored, but I was able to watch Start Wars I-VI for an entire shift.

- CCU for 2 weeks - daily cramping in my hand.....just too much writing

- Peds ED - cough, fever, vomit....repeat x 30....finally one sick patient!

And today starts my next block (4 week rotation) in Adult ED!!!! Yay!! Did I mention that I <3 ED :)

So, what have I learned over the last 7 months.....that everyday I am so far behind! I am fortunate that with my residency I have time off to read about the important diseases and pathologies I will experience. But the amount of material seems to grow exponentially every day. I understand that this is how residency is....its meant to kick your but with information and patients and time (in fact, while entering my duty hours in the computer this morning I decided to add all of my hours up since Aug. 1st and the number said 1567! Wow!! By the end of my first year I will have worked 3000 hours!! And if you string that out, that will be over 9000 hours at the end of residency which is just crazy to think about). I sometimes feel that I have this huge puzzle in front of me with pieces that are missing all the time. Now, I am sure that in a year or two I will be cleaning my apartment and may find those pieces under the refrigerator or in a box somewhere. I just wish I could find them today!!!

Off to read before my shift! Take care (hopefully I will write more, but I wouldn't count on it knowing me!)

Tomorrow I am in hell!

For the rest of this post please substitute the word trauma for hell.

So, tomorrow starts hell where I am either in the hospital attempting to pretend I am a surgeon, or I am at home sleeping, trying desperately to re-charge my brain for another day of hell. Of course, hell can be fun....lots of fire....broken bones....automobile accidents....gunshots....stabbings. But hell also has a mean, sadistic side. One in which the members of this elite group called the hell team have no lives outside of hell. I did not sign up for hell full time, but because my regularly scheduled job in the land of fun requires that we deal with some hell on a regular basis, I am forced to spend a month in hell. I just hope the next 28 days of hell go smoothly.

My last few days of the adult ED went well, except for my last night of course. I got stuck with a drunk with a whopping head laceration that took me nearly 2 hours to close. Sucked. Because of it I got behind on my other patients and spent the rest of the night trying desperately to play catch up. I did finally catch up.....30 minutes after my shift ended. Those are the nights you wish you had a "do over" button.

Overall, the entire first month went really well. Saw some great cases. Learned alot. Of course, I also quickly realized how far I have to go in terms of experiencing and learning. I still love my job though, so that has to count!!!

Of course, hell starts tomorrow....I may have to amend my last statement ;) Have a good night!

2 weeks completed....

Tonight marks the end of my first two weeks of residency (actually the end is Sunday, but I have this weekend off). I decided to wait until the 2 week mark to add to this blog and update you on my progress in the emergency department mostly because my first night was crazy and I was hoping that it would get better. Of course, it did!!

So tonight I give you my 2 week progress report:

- I quickly realized (the first night) that my 4th year of medical school was a huge waste of time. I know that I had a better understanding of medicine after 3rd year, especially since I was studying for Step II. I now feel like I am constantly second guessing my knowledge. I strain to find the answers in my brain, answers that used to come so quickly. Every night as I leave the department and walk to my car, I mentally shuffle through everything I should read up on and after 14 days, the list is incredibly long.....already. All I can say is I hope I can learn fast!

- Learning new computer systems really slows me down! My first night was tough....lots of missed and incorrect orders. I have noticed that each day I get better with the computer, I find the medications or tests I need quicker, and my speed has increased with each shift. I still keep forgetting to "update" my patient's status which means that my patient doesn't go to CT scan in a timely manner or my Attending has no idea where I am in dispositiong the patient. Hopefully by the end of the month I get it!

- My enthusiasm for my work is beyond description!!! I love picking up patients....seeing patients....talking to patients. I have the mentality that I need to see and do as much as I can in each shift because I don't have too many of them. I have worked with a few of the second year residents and I can see they have already lost their excitement....I can only hope that my enthusiasm continues throughout my 3 years here.

- So far (I haven't worked with all of them), my attendings are awesome!! They don't hold my hand but are there to challenge my thinking and guide me. Exactly what I was looking for in a program.

Over the past 2 weeks I have seen some interesting cases and I am sure I will see a hell of a lot more. My future posts will highlight the most interesting of my patients. Of course, I will also update you on my life outside of medicine.

Speaking of which....my beer is getting warm ;) Everyone have a great night!!

Day #1

Today, August 1st is the beginning of my first shift as an Emergency Resident. Over the past month of my orientation, sprinkled here or there into lectures, I have had a couple of shadow shifts which allowed me the opportunity to see the ED, play with the computer, and carry a few patients. But today, I am the Doctor. I will be carrying 2-3 patients/hour (maybe more), coming up with my plan for each patient, placing orders, and seeing each plan to its final stage: discharge, admit, or body bag. I am hoping that none of my patients today end of in the latter.

To say that I am excited is an understatement. But in addition to feeling like a 5 year old being tucked into bed on Christmas Eve (Santa always came to our house on Xmas day), I have so many other emotions (too numerous to mention) also running wild. I feel like a comet of emotions streaking in the sky, on a collision course for RWJ University Hospital. Expected collision time: 1pm August 1st.

Today is my Rapture Day!!!! I just hope all those that come to the hospital on this particular day are ready for me.

My first post as a Resident!!

And I am about 17 days too late!!! HAHA!! Well, did you expect anything less from me?

So, on July 1st I officially began my life as a resident in Emergency Medicine. This whole entire month is dedicated to Orientation.....so far it has been alot of fun. Taking classes during the day, getting to know my fellow PGY-1's over beers and food at night....every weekend in July off....what is not to love?? Although, don't tell any of the other residents in other departments at RWJ Hospital about our "cush" schedule. They all have REALLY working on July 1st and I am sure they would not be to happy to know we have not joined them.

August 1st begins my first rotation, in the Adult Emergency Department. I am so excited to find out exactly what I don't know :) In all seriousness, I really can't wait to start. I have been waiting 4 long years to say "Hi, I'm Dr. J and what brings you into the ED today??" Although that very first patient will not know, care, or understand the situation, that first encounter will be very memorable to me!!

As always, I hope to continue to update this blog periodically throughout this next year so that all of you have the opportunity to see what being an intern is really like. Although, I can almost bet I won't do it as often as I should. But I will try!!!

Take care everyone!!!

Graduation Day....came fast and is now gone!

Saturday June 11, 2011 I walked across the stage of Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in NYC to be hooded and presented with a rolled up piece of parchment paper w/a bow that said "Saint George's University" and to stand next to the Chancellor for my all important photo op. Officially, I am done with SGU!! Feels like yesterday that I started in Grenada, and now after 4 1/2 years, I am done.

Seeing all of my friends on Saturday actually made me feel kind of sad. Because I knew that after that day, we would all go in our separate directions.....to residency in different cities...in other states. And it may be a while before I see many of them again. Some I may not see again :( I am hoping that we will all stay in touch....whether it be on facebook, or texting, or email. But I know that a few will slip through the cracks. It happens. It just sucks.

But I was happy to see all of them....so happy....family so happy.....friends so happy. I only wish the day could have been longer, or that we had more time to catch up, talk, and laugh. Now I get to do the most important thing....pick which over-priced photo package I will buy!! :)

I'm O-F-F-I-C-I-A-L!

Or as my step-dad said to me: you have been telling us you were doing this medical school thing for the last 4 years, and now I believe you! :)

I have finally received that magic piece of paper that says "MD" after my name. And I can't begin to describe what that feels like. It has been a long four years...traveling for two years to a caribbean country, living in that country, living in NYC, living on next to no money, eating pasta almost every night (and the list can go on for ever). Through all of that and more...I did it. I made it!! And I am so very happy :)

So, from this moment on you will all address me as "Doctor"! Just kidding :) Although, I have this urge to call up my credit card company and have them send me a new card with the letters "MD" after my name.

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!!!

This morning my best friend texts me with "its the final countdown!!" Of course, since then that song is stuck in my head. So today marks my very last day as a medical student. Actually, tomorrow morning at 7am because I happen to be on my very last call night as a medical student as well. Unfortunately, this call is not so exciting or exhilarating. I have spent the last 4 hours sitting on a couch in the call room with my computer propped on my lap. I have been very productive with paying bills online, signing up for new email accounts (to reflect my name change), consolidating said email accounts with old ones, reading current news/sports, and of course....blogging! I'm thinking of watching a movie next.... At least I get to spend my last day (and night) with some great residents at Bellvue Hospital, which is a women's hospital in Schenectady, NY. Although I hate being bored, I am hoping that tonight follows the same path as the day...that is pregnant women decide to stay home instead of deliver....LOL. I need sleep too! Especially since I am driving home tomorrow morning right after I leave this hospital and I would rather not be sleepy. So tonight I go to bed as a medical student. Tomorrow, I awake as a doctor :) This day has been a very long time coming.....but it has been worth every moment!! By the way, starting tomorrow....its Doctor to you and I won't be answering to anything else!!! LOL

And the winner is................

Robert Wood Johnson, New Brunswick, New Jersey

My #1 pick!!!!! So froggin excited :) :) :)

And the verdict is........................drumroll please....

I MATCHED!!!!!! So froggin excited I can't even type fast enough to keep up with my smile :)

I find out on Thursday where I will spend the next 3 years of my life. What an awesomely amazing spectacular wondrous incredibly fantastic day!!!

Everyone have a great night!

ROL Certified = more waiting

It is official....as of 9pm tonight the match for residency positions for 2011 is closed. All rank order lists from both applicants and programs are due at this time and then the real fun begins because then some mystical computer in some far away place will determine everyone's future. Ah, the wonders of computers and modern technology. Although, I have to wonder that if a computer is picking the final results shouldn't we have them before March 14th which is officially match day? All I can hope is that this "super match computer" is not the same one that collage football uses for the BCS bowls.

I have spent the last few hours making sure my list is certified (the process did border on obsessive compulsive for a few moments). I kept having this weird feeling that I would log in and my list would magically be un-certified. So, I would really log in and see the nice green lit letters "ROL Certified" which only demonstrated that my paranoia was unfounded. I would then log off only to start thinking "what happened if during my logoff I somehow switched my list to uncertified" in which case I would log in again and breathe comfortably knowing that my list was still certified. You can continue this tennis match of certified vs. uncertified in your head for the next 20 minutes and get a feeling of how it really played out in my world. I can NOW say that I am certified and no longer need to check.....or do I? :)

In other news....I am on my 3rd week of Medicine Sub I and I still want to kill myself everyday. I have gotten to the point where during rounds I look around the patient rooms and try to find all the ways to kill myself....sort of Macgyver style. For example, today a patient was wearing a nasal cannula for Oxygen delivery and I thought, "hanging by nasal cannula". Yesterday I glanced at a patient breakfast tray and thought "food poisoning via cyanide". This game is actually quite fun and briefly takes me away from the monotony and boringness of medicine rounds. I honestly don't know how internal medicine residents survive 3 years of residency!! Good news: I only have 6 more days.

Better news: 8 more days and I am out of Brooklyn!!! :)

V-DAY!!

Yes, this day has finally arrived. You know the one....where couples are to shower each other with tacky cards, fattening chocolates, over-priced dinners and nauseating words of love. I am grateful that I don't have to partake in this one day fantasy extravaganza. No....tonight I (and countless others across this single land) will be cozying up to our favorite men....Ben and Jerry's.....and enjoying every bite :)

In other news.....my rank list is certified. After much internal debate and struggle I have picked Robert Wood Johnson in New Brunswick, NJ as my number 1 with St. Luke's Bethlehem, PA as my very close (could definitely be number 1 but I had to choose) number 2. The process was not an easy one. I spent countless hours on the internet, googling the programs.....their respective cities....the cost of living.....if there was a women's hockey team near by...if there was a Panera bread. I placed RWJ and ST. LUKE'S on 2 post-it notes, firmly attached them to my wall, and then proceeded to switch their positions back and forth...forth and back for days as if my wall was a race track and the notes were horses jockeying for the win. In the end, I just had to pick one...I just wanted the process to be over with....so.....I picked and certified. And now I wait....4 weeks exactly....and then I find out where I will be for the next 3 years of my life.

I hate waiting.

I wish everyone a happy valentine's day :)

Snow day....

So I haven't written in a while...what else is new??

Today was supposed to be my second to last day in Anesthesia at Coney Island but due to a winter storm last night in NYC (13 inches of snow has fallen) the Q/B subway to Coney is suspended as are the buses in Brooklyn, so I am stuck in my apartment. Oh yeah, its been so long since I posted you probably did not know that I started Anesthesia....well I did, and its almost done! Actually it has been a great rotation. I have intubated almost 10 patients all under the watchful eye of the Anesthesiologist.....actually, only 2 of them because these two doctors are the only ones that actually teach and allow students to do things at Coney. In fact, when they are not working I just go home. I wish I could post their names because they deserve alot of praise but I haven't asked and that would be inappropriate.

Interview season is officially over for me. It ended last Wednesday. I traveled to Lansing, Michigan to interview at Sparrow Hospital....and I loved it!!! I have spent the last week tossing around how the top of my list will shake out. I have numbers 4-9 set....but programs 1, 2, and 3 are almost impossible to rank. I can see myself at all three of them completely happy with my choice. And that is why I spend my days thinking about New Brunswick, Bethelehem, and Lansing...obsessing over their order...continuously changing their ranks...spending countless hours searching about the areas on my computer....playing scenarios over in my head....thinking I have it set and then 2 minutes later changing my mind. It is tiring and nauseating. I can't wait to just finalize my list and be done.

Of course to fully appreciate my struggle I should briefly explain the match process. Applicants (like myself) get inteviews....go on interviews....and then rank programs based on where they want to be. Programs also rank their applicants based on who they want. Then, the lists get dumped into a computer and this computer tries to match all applicants with a program. They say the process favors the applicant first, taking into account where they ranked programs and where they want to be. The hard part is....you have no idea how a program ranks you....they may say they like you and will rank you high but you just never know. Just like a program doesn't know whether applicants are truthful about where they are ranking programs. To be an applicant and believe that a computer program makes the final decision is like being a college football fan and believing in the computer to successfully rank the BCS (it just doesn't always work as past experiences have shown). You have to blindly put your faith into this system which is very hard for someone like me. The downside of this whole process is if you don't match, that is you are not paired with a program on your list because their positions are filled. Then you have to scramble which involves calling/faxing/emailing programs and begging for a residency position....sometimes a position in an area of medicine that you are not interested in....i.e. family medicine or pediatrics. I won't even begin to describe the full scramble process as it seems somewhat barbaric to me....if I end up in it then I will explain it to you.

In short, I am trying my best to differentiate 3 solid programs that all will offer me exactly what I want in terms of training....that all have great residents and attendings (from what I could tell during interviews)....that all are in great areas to live in. In shorter terms...this process really sucks.....I have until February 23rd to finalize my rank list. And the Match occurs March 14th....the wait is simply agonizing.

Merry Christmas Eve!!!

I am sitting in my parent's living room watching Family Guy with my brother and describing the anatomy of the butt to my brother who apprarently doesn't learn this stuff in school. The details of this topic will be left to your imagination.

So here is the rundown of our agenda for tonight and tomorrow. At 5pm we begin our journey to a family friend's house for dinner and drinking. Then back home for our own little present extravaganza and some more drinking (Red Cat for me and furry tonight :) We will watch xmas movies and cartoons for the night, then bedtime. Tomorrow, Santa comes to fill our stockings with fun things so we will all sit around and open our stockings....and ooh and ahh, then breakfast and some more xmas movies and cartoons. Dinner is tommorrow night at 5pm which includes lasagna (both vegetable and meat) and ham. Then after dinner is another movie. And xmas is done for another year.

I know I haven't explained my trip to Detroit yet....been very busy at home. But I have all of next week so hopefully I will remember to write again before I return back to Brooklyn.

I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday. Take care :)

one down!

In Detroit. Today, I had my first interview....at St. John's Hospital. Went really, really well. Loved the hospital!! Loved the people there. Overall, I think I nailed it. I can only hope to match there. Second interview tomorrow at Sinai-Grace.

When I get home I will give you all a very special treat. A description of my trip here.....very eventful!! HAHA

I hope everyone had a wonderful night.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Today is my first thanksgiving at home in 5 years!!! And already my family is annoying me :) :) My mom is barking about the Macy's parade and how she has seen more of the today show hosts than the actual parade. Fur is popping blocks. Dylan just woke up (almost 11:30am). Randi and Garry just showed up. And I have to cut the dogs nails....possible go for a run, especially if I will be gorging myself today...and help my mom as much as I can with today (although she has to do EVERYTHING her way ;) I also get to eat some delicious food and stuff myself absolutely silly. I love this day!

My weekend was awesome...I had a very special friend come and visit. I had not seen her for almost 2 years and it was really nice to see her and talk with her. I miss her tremendously. Unfortunately, I forget sometimes who is visiting me. Usually I have friends that come to stay with me who have no idea where they are, how to get anywhere, and need my internal GPS for guidance. Kate needs none of that...which means I annoyed her for 4 days with my insistance of helping her navigate the big city which she is capable of doing by herself. I think by the last day I had gotten that fact in my head but then she left to go back home....sorry!! Other than that, it was fun to walk the city and eat and talk and I enjoyed every moment she was there.

Tuesday I traveled on the train home....I'm glad I left the city early before the onslaught of travelers. Good news: no pat down for me at the train station as they never search anyone taking an Amtrak train. Bad news: no pat down shows how vulnerable our trains really are.

I have been thinking about the pumpkin pie that is in the fridge...I think I am going to go and steal a piece....hee hee!! I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe thanksgiving. Have a great day!

I'm Bored!!!!

Actually, I have lots of cleaning to do before my special guest arrives on friday. But cleaning is boring without good music so I am busy looking for songs on Itunes to add to my collection. The reference of the title of this post is partly a joke. I am off from rotations until January 4th and I partly rubbing in to my friends who still rotating :) Of course, without the structure of something to do everyday I am a tad bit bored. So, I decided to log on and get typing since I have some recapping to do anyways...

I finished Cardiology on friday!!! :) It was a nice chill and relaxing morning and after rounds I said my goodbyes to everyone. I then headed into the city to Macy's to find some blouse tops. I scored big time by finding a nice pink and a classic white one ($24.95 each). I then headed home to rest up for the big birthday weekend. On Saturday, I met up with Daniel, Patrick, Yoshie, and the birthday girl herself, Ishie, for a wonderful weekend in Atlantic City!!! LOVED IT!! Lunch was at a nice Seafood restaurant where my 3 sliders (crab, lobster, salmon) were fantastic. Then we had some really bad $2 shots (hee hee). Then we walked the boardwalk, took photos, and avoided pigeons. After playing $20 in the machines and losing (no afternoon luck) we headed back to the hotel for wine and prepping for the evening. Then, off to the Borgata for an amazing buffett dinner. I housed 4 plates of food and dessert!!! Then, tried my luck again with Wheel of Fortune slots. I did manage to turn my $20 into $50 before I lost it all :( Then, it was back to the hotel for some more late night drinking and passing out. Woke up at 10:30am, checked out of the hotel and headed to breakfast at this cute diner around the corner. Then, back to NYC. It was a really nice weekend away with friends....I should do that more often :)

Monday was game face day. I had to travel to New Brunswick, NJ for my first interview (actually my 2nd but my first during interview season). I went out with the residents for their invitation social. The ones I met were very laid back and chill. The next morning, was my interview. The program director was great. The program looks amazing. And almost all of my interviews went really well, except for the one question from the Vice Chairman that threw we off for about 10 seconds but I think I recovered enough to not look like a total idiot :) I really, REALLY liked this program and would love to match there and I sold myself as hard as I could to show them this. Hopefully, it worked!!

So, today I am cleaning and writing post interview thank you notes. Good news: I received another interview offer. Bad news: SUNY Upstate (a top of the list program for me) did not offer me an interview :( That's twice I have been rejected from them, once for medical school and once for residency. Well.....their loss!!!

Veteran's Day....

Happy Veteran's Day! A big giant support hug goes out to all who have or currently are serving in the military. Without you, we would all be british......

Today meant a day off from work because city hospital employees do not work on national holidays and my boss told me not to bother making the trip in. Which means tomorrow is my last day of cardiology...YAY!!! Going to miss it...sort of. But, on to better and bigger things like interviews.

I have my first official interview on Tuesday in New Brunswick, NJ. I spent all day today preparing by researching the program and thinking about what I want to portray to my interviewers. I honestly have no idea what questions they will ask me so I pretended that I was an interviewer of potential applicants to my emergency medicine program and I thought about the things that I would want to know about the applicants. I am so happy I still retain some of my imagination from my childhood days.....it certainly came in handy today!!

After my last day tomorrow I am going shopping.....I need to buy 2 new dress shirts for my interview outfit. Then, this weekend its off to Atlantic City to celebrate my good friend's 30th b-day (hopefully I win some money).

Quickly....a big congrats to my friend Jesse for finishing the NYC Marathon. I am so inspired that I am thinking of running it myself next year. Of course, the minute my knee starts acting up I reserve the right to change my mind.

I just noticed that this blog seems to be all over the place tonight. That is what happens when you are not prepared!!! Which is why I need to get back to preparing for my big day on Tuesday. I hope everyone has a good night!! :)

Rally for Sanity!!

I know I should have blogged about my amazing weekend on Monday, but I was recovering!! Today, I have the energy to tell you all about my adventure to DC and making history...so here goes.....

Jesse (my partner in crime) was gracious enough to allow me to stay at his place the night before our journey since the bus left from a place not too far from him. At 6:15am on Oct. 30th, we left the apartment and walked to where the unmarked chinatown bus would whisk us away. The bus stop was PACKED, but we made it on the bus and at 6:50am we were off. The ride down was not too bad....lots of people sleeping...and talking. The only negative was the 2 idiots directly behind us who were yapping at the top of the lungs. The whole bus could here their moronic, immature talk. Eventually they fell asleep which meant peace for the next 2 hours :)

We arrived in DC at 11:30am and walked towards the National Mall. Not even a few blocks in and we already started seeing the signs.....some of them were hilarious, like "Down with zippers!". Some poked fun at the teaparty...some at Obama....some were serious signs about real world problems...but most were just clever, funny, and obviously thought up over some drug induced state the night before. Jesse and I tried to move through the masses on the Mall, trying desperately to make our way near a speaker or even the stage. No such luck. Too many people crammed into one spot and no one wanted to move. There were people there who obviously had been there for hours with there blankets and lawn chairs out and they locked arms and would not let anyone through the crowd. Eventually, Jesse and I became tired of this and decided to leave the giant ball of human flesh and head to the outskirts of the Mall. We walked for a ways, taking in all the signs, and costumes and then we came to the spot where history would be made in DC. The construction site!!! We decided to join about 30 others in trespassing onto this site, climbing a retaining wall....then a whole house, to sit on the roof and have the best seats in the house! That lasted about 30 minutes when A) More people than the roof could hold were up there and I became paranoid that I would end of in a newspaper article about a roof collapse and more importantly B) The police showed up....since we were all trespassing. So, we got chased out of the construction site. And instead of trying to rejoin the crazy crowd, we walked through the National Mall, seeing the sites....Washington Monument, White House, the new World War II Memorial, Lincoln Memorial. Then, Jesse and I walked to a corner bar and did the most American thing ever....had a beer, a burger, and watched the rally on TV!!!!

We then headed to our hotel and rested. An old friend stopped who now lives in DC, so I got to spend some time with her before she headed back out to the streets to protect the citizens of DC (she's a cop there). Then, Jesse and I headed out on the town to take in the Halloween craziness in DC. Lots of crazy costumes....and cheap drinks. And then, it was back to the hotel for bed. On Sunday, we walked through DC chinatown (much cleaner than NYC's), saw some of the 35,000 runners of the Marine Corps Marathon, and walked through the National Aerospace Museum. Then it was back on the bus (with sandwiches and beer in our bags) to head back to NYC.

Overall, it was an amazing weekend....I had an awesome time and I owe a big thank you to Jesse for going with me. I would post pictures but blogger is acting up, so I will try to add them next time.....

Everyone have a great night!!