Friday, February 29, 2008

Rude

Today a patient who has already cancelled or failed 2 appointments at the college of dentistry (a failure is a no-show without any warning) since he started his root canal treatment almost 2 months ago exhibited very poor manners. He called in this morning to say he was on his way, then didn't come. Then he called and said he would be in after lunch, and then a half hour late called to say he would be in at 2 for his 1:00 patient. I waited around for 70 minutes before I decided he probably wasn't coming. What a waste of time. He never came but said he would "try to come in on Monday." Rude!

Dental appointments aren't like dropping by to pick up your dry cleaning! The dentist or student is waiting on the patient to come. I've never heard of a dental appointment being a spur of the moment thing, like renting a movie or even getting your haircut. We may operate similarly to a hair school in that we are altering parts of your body with sharp instruments at a reduced fee. But, you can't just "see if you'll make it in" or call and say you are "on your way" and then not show for a dental appointment. We aren't a walk-in clinic.

This patient is often necessary to fulfill requirments that must be met for the education to be complete. Not coming to the appointment means that someone else who has a real dental emergency may have to wait weeks for an opening, that the student is out their requirement or an opportunity with another patient, and it costs the school quite a bit of money to re-sterilize equipment and throw out unused paper products, lidocaine cartridges, etc. If we continually get cancelling patients, we may have to repeat another portion of the school year. That can cost thousands to the student and the school! I'm not worried at this point but just cannot understand how you could think that was acceptable behavior.

I could have been doing a root canal on someone else or at least working on lab work that I already have so much of with only 2 patients. Instead, I wasted over an hour so I would be ready when he came. I didn't want him to wait on me. So much for good manners! And, I still have not fulfilled any of my requirments.

I guess someone else can try on Monday when he tries so hard to get in. What does that mean, anyway? "If I can roll out of bed I may be in?"

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Super Block

I got my first taste of why people complain of Super Block. I had two pros patients. I showed up at 7:30 to prepare. My morning patient went over until about 12:30 and then I had to prepare for my 1:00 patient (this means no lunch). I stayed until about 7:30 for lab work (no dinner). Then, I was dropped off at lacrosse where I borrowed a stick and played in my scrubs until 8:30. I was supposed to go Visiting Teaching at 8:30 but it got cancelled for snow. I finally came home and had some food. Now I am TIRED.

Tomorrow...possible root canal. I feel exhausted just thinking about it.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Confessions of an addict

I'm not really allowed any vices in my life. As part of my beliefs, I choose not to participate in many of the common addictions: alcohol, cigarettes, other drugs, even caffeine. That may be why this is such a shocking revelation....I developed an addiction I am struggling to overcome. It started so innocently, an offer by a friend. I started with just a little but it got worse and worse where now I can hardly control my cravings. At least I am willing to admit I may have a problem, but I'm not willing to change...at least not until the season is over...and I may relapse.


I am a Prison Break addict. I realized this more than ever last night when I was home alone until Abe got home late from work. They say that people who drink on a regular basis (everyday) or by themselves can classify themselves as alcoholics. Does this apply to TV?


It started innocently with one episode over dinner. I was a little lonely and bored, a dangerous place to be in my situation but I rationalized, "A lot of people treat themselves with meals, right?" Then, I had to have one more, while I rode my bike, of course, just a half hour. Well, that hour quickly passed (even with me huffing along on my bicycle) but I couldn't stop there, I couldn't leave Michael and Lincoln, wondering what would happen. So, just ten more minutes, to resolve the cliff hanger. Yeah, right, by then I was too far in. I couldn't stop. Afterward, I felt guilty for not waiting until Abe got home to watch it with me (it is something we do together) but I couldn't go back. And now, there is one more episode to watch, the one that aired last night while I got completely caught-up.


I am also participating in addictive behaviors with Lost. We are only in season 2, which means I have potential days of wasting my time! I am trying to keep this one under better control. Prison Break I think will continue to be my drug of choice.


If you have participated in one or more of these activities, you may also be an addict:

-pretending you haven't seen an episode already so your spouse doesn't feel bad

-watching more than 2 episodes in one sitting

-letting it interfere with your daily life and important tasks

-it disrupts your personal relationship ("Honey, shush!")


Let me know if you need to join my anonymous association. All show-aholics are equal, even if it is 24!

Monday, February 25, 2008

Sponge-mobile




I really like Sponge Bob. Dorky, eh? It started out as a joke years ago, but evolved into a show I actually like. Not that I ever watch it...I don't have any TV channels and only recently got the internet at my home so I can watch a few shows there.


For a pinewood derby we had at church Abe and I didn't have any tools. I wondered what we could do to turn a plane old block with wheels into something at least a little unique. Here is our final product. He sure wasn't very fast, but he has a lot of character! I am amazed at how Sponge-Bobby he really looks. Sometimes I get lucky in my art!

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Sewing projects




I've been meaning to post these pics for quite some time. Last summer Hancock Fabric in Iowa City was going out of business (very sad). The good thing was that I was able to get some steals on some fabric for my wedding as well as my house. I bought the rest of the bolt of this cool sheer green with gold stripes. I had just enough to make curtains for our living room. It was tricky to measure it out and know I had enough to cover each window, I didn't have anything extra to work with...but I think they turned out well. It is amazing how curtains will make a place feel like home!

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Exercise in the Snow (or out of it, rather)





It is still very cold in Iowa. We've had over a foot of crusty snow and ice blanketing everything and the roads are still pretty nasty, even after weeks. I heard we have had 53 in. in Iowa City, the 4th snowiest winter on record! Brr.


To keep in shape (or rather, attempt to get back in it) I've been playing lacrosse with the Iowa Women's Club team. It is quite a change from BYU lacrosse and can be frustrating at times (going from top 10 to #126 in the nation), esp when they ask me for drill ideas and don't listen. Anyway, it is a lot of fun if I can learn to play with goggles. This is a subject for other days...


I have also been riding my new lovely bike inside on the trainer that converts my bike to a stationary one. Even if it snows until June (which wouldn't surprise me) I can still be ready for RAGBRI (the annual ride across Iowa event) this July.


PS I don't really wear all of my gear inside, esp the helmet, but we wanted to try it all out.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Homemade by Jill

I've been thinking a lot about my friend Jill. I hope she doesn't mind but I've been reading her blog for quite some time and have been so inspired to be more crafty and creative--something I don't have much time for outside of my dental artistic skills! I have also had a lot of traffic coming from her blog and so I thought I would let her readers know a few things about her.

Jill is a great athlete! She was so fun to play with on our lacrosse team in college. She is also very talented in other sports. I was surprised to start reading her blog quite some time ago because of my "jock" stereotype of her. Not really, but I was impressed to see that her craftiness may rival her athleticism.

Jill is also one of the nicest people I know. I really enjoyed her company and love seeing what she is up to. It would be nice to end up in the same neck of the woods again!

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Pecan-Topped Carrot Pie



I know this sounds a little unconventional but this is amazing and easy to make! It kind of reminds me of pumpkin or sweet potato pie but the crunchy pecan top is so yummy it may be better. Bon apetite!


4 c. sliced fresh carrots

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

2 eggs

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Dash salt

1 unbaked pastry shell (9in)

1 c. chopped pecans

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

3 T butter, melted


Add 1 in. water to a large saucepan; add carrots. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 9-11 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool.


Place the carrots, milk, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and salt in a blender. Cover and process until pureed; process 1 min. longer. Pour into pasty shell. Combine the pecans, brown sugar and butter; sprinkle over filling.


Bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean and edges are browned. (Cover edges of crust with foil during the last 20 minutes to prevent overbrowning if necessary.) Cool on a wire rack. Refridgerate leftovers. Yield 6-8 servings.


Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Please help a scrub


Me being a scrub, doing scrubby things

Me trying not to be a scrub...

My entire life I have been a struggling tomboy. Struggling in the fact that although my nature is to be one, I secretly wish I were more of a girly girl while being ironically proud that I am not. Strange, I know.

Anyway, I have been feeling like a total scrub. This is not helped by the fact that I wear scrubs to school almost everyday. They are blue and Abe calls me a smurf. I remember there was one lone girl smurf and although she wore lipstick and high heels, that still doesn't make me feel very good about my appearance. Besides, the odds aren't very good that I even get to be her.

My goal this year was to "take more pride in my appearance." I haven't been very successful. I usually wake up as late as possible, choose which pair of scrubs to wear (cherokee or landau...big choice), and put my hair into a ponytail that never stays how I want it. Sometimes I attempt some eye make-up but usually this seems pointless when I am dressed as described.

Anyway, I am wondering the secrets of the chronically beautiful...you know those girls who always look great. They must put in the time and effort to do it but I just feel clueless. Thus, I put together my first featured poll. If you are on the run, as I often am, what do you do to feel as beautiful as possible considering the circumstances? Or, is hygiene and beauty so important that this is never the case?

Please, share some info to help out a poor scrub. I want to enjoy my beauty (or any potential of it) while I am still young and have any to speak of!

Thanks!



Monday, February 18, 2008

Chicago








Like I mentioned before, Abe and I spent a nice short weekend in Chicago. We walked around a lot, went to Potbelly sandwiches, and the Weber grill restaurant. I don't think we would ever have gone there if they hadn't had the giant grill cemented to the corner. Good marketing. I bet the hundreds of other people there and our 45 minute wait were results of the same.

We also went to a show, "Altar Boyz," a spoof on Christian music and boy bands. It was pretty funny.

On the way back we saw the most interesting thing I've seen in Chicago. I may be defiling some pure minds with this post, but it was too amazing you have to see it to believe it. In an interior design store there were some very interesting designs. Yes, the picture is of a "mammary gland" lamp, vase, and art thingy. And, is if that wasn't bizaare enough, the owner or manager, whoever the Jonathon of the "Jonathon's somethings" store was thought they were great enough to lure guests in in 2 windows. Strange.








We topped the rest of our trip off with a day at the Shedd aquarium and Giordano's for real Chicago style pizza. Yum! Overall, a trip well worth the slighlty scary ride home and the interesting Chicago decor.



64 accidents

So Abe and I went to Chicago for a Valentine's Day weekend. We had a lot of fun and had some pretty good Chicago weather...at least it was warmer than Iowa City.

On our way home we were a bit worried. We had heard IC had had a huge storm and that the roads had been pretty awful. We were quite lucky, no probs at all until we hit the Iowa border. There was no snow coming down and luckily things were pretty plowed. However, there were some patchy spots that made us nervous.

But, we could see the devastation of the storm. I counted 64 cars off the side of the road, in ditches or the median. I don't know how many I missed on the other side of the road (I only saw 1). Crazy. That is more than one car per mile (it was less than a 40 mile stretch). I felt like I was in the Bermuda Triangle of cars, or at least a car ghost town or something. I kept hoping that every car had been accoutned for and that there weren't any hurt or stuck people within!

And, I decided they are right that SUV's roll. The only cars I saw on their sides or upside down were SUV's...luckily, just a couple. There was everything from little sports cars to semi's.

I'm glad we weren't number sixty-five!

Monday, February 11, 2008

Yummy

I've been cooking a lot! Somehow I've had these great cooking urges on Sundays to cook, cook, cook. Normally, I just make things that I can imagine and whip up with what we have on hand. Recently, I came up with a list of dishes and bought all of the ingredients. Crazy idea, I know.

Anyway, I've been cooking and freezing things. What a novel idea. I am so proud of myself for this because normally for me cooking is all about instant gratification. Abe and I have made meatloaf, cabbage roll-ups, white bean chili, scrambled egg bake with carrot muffins, and turkey burgers with carmelized onions, all of which were delicious. We also made Mexican corn chowder and fiesta lasagna last night that I am excited to pull out of the freezer during a busy super block night. I just wish I had the pics to show you but I am at school.

We have also been using the breadmaker my parents bought for his birthday. We've made the basic white, banana chocolate chip, and cinnamon. We have to much food around the house.

So anyway, I may get fat! We'll see. Check out Abe's website for some recipes. Hopefully he can get them on there for you.

www.ironsheff.blogspot.com

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Sad Politics

I am very disappointed in America, at least in Republican Americans. I have been a Mitt supporter for awhile, esp with all of the fuss here in Iowa for the past 9 months leading to the caucus.

It is sad to me that the only complaint people really have against him is how perfect he is. He isn't genuine enough, he is arrogant, he is spending his own money on his campaign. Doesn't that just mean his is passionate and has no accountability to special interests? How is being rich and successful a bad thing? Do we want someone who has been unsuccessful leading our country to success? And has he ever been any more arrogant than any other candidate? I don't get it.

The only thing I can imagine it that people dont' like Mormons. I had had this told to my face. And, people hate someone who has it all...hundreds of millions, a great family, success in multiple sectors, etc. Not sure why you don't want that for a president.

Too bad all of the conservative media waited too long in sending out their endorsements of Mitt. The liberal media have been against Mitt from the beginning. They downplayed his win in the Iowa straw poll and rarely give him coverage for anything until now when they are calling for him (as the #2 guy) to quit. If he wins or loses, it seems the other guy makes the headlines.

Monday, February 4, 2008

externship luck

I got an externship! I am so relieved. I will be spending July 6-13 in Knoxville TN pulling late hours (and hopefully teeth!). I lucked upon it today, actually. I perused their website and found I could get an application by email. I was told they had the availability I needed so I quickly submitted the first part of the application and they reserved my spot. What a relief! Now, if I get another one I'll be set. If not, no worries.

The best part is...it is only a week long instead of 2-4 weeks. This is a plus for me, partly because I am in charge of youth conference (yes, IN CHARGE in charge) smack during the middle of my break, and I'll get a few days of summer. Phew!

Never really been to TN before. Maybe I can visit Graceland!

Let it snow!

We got dumped on with snow yesterday. For Iowa, we got quite a bit! We made the mistake of going out to visit a couple of friends for birthday cake and to dinner. The snow was deep and the driving very slow. So many people were out getting stuck in honor of the super bowl, I am sure. Parties to get to, beer to drink, you know.

We almost got in an accident when we found a women kneeling in the road in the snow. We drove her home and as we tried to back down her very steep hill came very close to hitting a parked car! Luckily, the parked car had just dug out and was on its way out so they moved and we were able to turn around and narrowly miss another. We made it home eventually.

This morning there is lightning and thunderstorms with rain. This seems so bizarre to me! I have never seen lightning with snow! It seems like such a weird combo to me. I thought wearing my boots to school would have me covered, but I forgot my umbrella!

Any hint of snow in a few days and no patients will come. Schools have been cancelled. I think we'll have a quite Monday. Too bad, since this is our last week in oral surgery.