overread

Tags

overread, ridiculous

So I’ve moved on to a new book, this one titled Let’s Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson.  I have definitely caught myself laughing out loud (literally) several times while reading this book.  Some of the foot notes and the editor’s notes are absolutely hilarious.

This little section caught my eye this morning, and I felt the need to share it.

Bonnie, his mom, invited me to sit on the couch.  And so I did.  But when my back grazed one of the little couch pillows, Victor’s eyes widened at me in horror as if I’d just stabbed the family dog through the ear.  He cleared his throat at me, and I sat up quickly as he surreptitiously re-straightened the pillow and whispered, ‘Those pillows are only for decoration.’

And that’s when I learned my first rule about rich people.  They never use their cushions.

Which is sort of f*cked up, because that’s kind of what cushions are for.

changing of the guard

Tags

travel, vacation

Next month, I should be traveling to Haiti in order to perform a medical mission and medical fact-finding trip with some colleagues at the Department of Public Health here in Massachusetts.  I’m VERY excited as I’ve been wanting to go do medical work in Haiti for quite some time now – circumstances have just prevented me from going in the past.  But now the timing is finally right.

I was all ready to book my flight when I thought to myself – wait, when does my passport expire?  Oh crap, February.  You see, Haiti (along with many other countries) requires a passport be valid within 6 months of the date of entry.  Sadly, my passport would not have met this requirement.  Fail.  So I had the pleasure today of getting passport photos taken and then expediting my passport renewal.  A mere $200 later and the passport is in the mail.

I have to admit I’m sad to see my old passport go.  That passport has been a lot of places in the past 10 years and has seen a lot of sights.  Not to mention the good times spent in foreign countries, often with friends.  There are numerous stamps in that passport – my first trip to Paris by myself and the ride through the Chunnel to London in 2005.  My first medical trip to South Africa in 2005, complete with the temporary visa required for the two months I spent there, and my second medical mission to Nicaragua in 2008.  There’s the multiple stamps from the trip I took to Europe to celebrate graduation from medical school with my good friend Katrina – France, Luxembourg, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium.  My relaxing trip to Spain after my first year of residency in 2009.  And most recently trips to Barbados, and then to Mexico with my good friend Areeg.

I will fully admit that I’ve been incredibly blessed to be able to see as much of the world as I’ve managed to see in the past 10 years.  And I’m really excited about getting a new passport that will have a stamp in it from Haiti.  Here’s hoping the next 10 years have as many opportunities for travel as the past decade has.

Might you be spoiled?

This was one of those chain emails that I remember getting years ago and filling out.  And then posted to my blog back in the day.  I filled this little guy out in 2004 and it’s been interesting to see what things have changed since then.  I also think there are some categories that are definitely missing (like if you own an iPhone – guilty!)  So are you spoiled rotten or slumming it like me?  Find out!

Apparently if you have 40 or more, you are spoiled.

Do you have:
(1) your own cell phone
() a television in your bedroom
(2) an iPod, iPod touch, or equivalent
(3) a photo printer
() your own phone line
(4) TiVo or DVR
(5) high-speed internet access (i.e., not dialup)
() a surround sound system in bedroom
() DVD player in bedroom
() at least a hundred DVDs
(6) a childfree bathroom
() your own in-house office
() a pool
() a guest house
() a game room
() a queen-size bed or larger
() a stocked bar
() a working dishwasher
() an icemaker
(7) a working washer and dryer
(8) more than 20 pairs of shoes
() at least ten things from a designer store
(9) expensive sunglasses
() framed original art– not lithographs or prints
(10) Egyptian cotton sheets or towels
() a multi-speed bike
(11) a gym membership
() large exercise equipment at home
() your own set of golf clubs
() a pool table
() a tennis court
(12) local access to a lake, large pond, or the sea
() your own pair of skis
() enough camping gear for a weekend trip in an isolated area
() a boat
() a jet ski
() a neighborhood committee membership
() a beach house or a vacation house/cabin
() wealthy family members
() two or more family cars
(13) a walk-in closet or pantry
() a yard
() a hammock
() a personal trainer
(14) good credit
() expensive jewelry
() a designer bag that required being on a waiting list to get
() at least $100 cash in your possession right now
(15) more than two credit cards bearing your name (not counting gas cards or debit cards)
() a stock portfolio
(16) a passport
() a horse
() a trust fund (either for you or created by you)
(17) private medical insurance
(18) a college degree, and no outstanding college loans

Do you:
(19) shop for non-needed items for yourself (like clothes, jewelry, electronics) at least once a week
() do your regular grocery shopping at high-end or specialty stores
() pay someone else to clean your house, do dishes, or launder your clothes
(20) go on weekend mini-vacations
() send dinners back with every flaw
(21) wear perfume or cologne (not body spray)
() regularly get your hair styled or nails done in a salon
() have a job but don’t need the money OR
() stay at home with little financial sacrifice
() pay someone else to cook your meals
() pay someone else to watch your children or walk your dogs
() regularly pay someone else to drive you/taxis
(22) expect a gift after you fight with your partner

Are you:
() an only child
() married/partnered to a wealthy person
(23) baffled/surprised when you don’t get your way
() been on a cruise
(24) traveled out of the country
(25) met a celebrity
(26) been to the Caribbean
(27) been to Europe
() been to Hawaii
(28) been to New York
(29) eaten at the space needle in Seattle
() been to the Mall of America
(30) been on the Eiffel tower in Paris
(31) been on the Statue of Liberty in New York
(32) moved more than three times because you wanted to
() dined with local political figures
(33) been to both the Atlantic coast and the Pacific coast

Did you:
() go to another country for your honeymoon
() hire a professional photographer for your wedding or party
(34) take riding or swimming lessons as a child
() attend private school
(35) have a Sweet 16 birthday party thrown for you

earlier spoiled survey

hmm…so add some things to the spoiled survey. Add “expensive sunglasses” and “DVD player” to that list of things. Maybe I am spoiled?

Spoiled?

And now- the very important survey.
apparently if you have 40 or more, you are spoiled.

Do you have:
(1) your own cell phone
(2) a television in your bedroom
(3) an iPod (or equivalent)
(4) a photo printer
() your own phone line
() TiVo or a generic digital video recorder
(5) high-speed internet access (i.e., not dialup)
() a surround sound system in bedroom
() DVD player in bedroom
() at least a hundred DVDs
(6) a childfree bathroom
() your own in-house office
() a pool
() a guest house
() a game room
() a queen-size bed or larger
() a stocked bar
(7) a working dishwasher
() an icemaker
() a working washer and dryer
() more than 20 pairs of shoes
() at least ten things from a designer store
() expensive sunglasses
() framed original art– not lithographs or prints
(8) Egyptian cotton sheets or towels
() a multi-speed bike
() a gym membership
() large exercise equipment at home
() your own set of golf clubs
() a pool table
() a tennis court
(9) local access to a lake, large pond, or the sea
(10) your own pair of skis
() enough camping gear for a weekend trip in an isolated area
() a boat
() a jet ski
() a neighborhood committee membership
() a beach house or a vacation house/cabin
(11) wealthy family members
() two or more family cars
(12) a walk-in closet or pantry
() a yard
() a hammock
() a personal trainer
(13) good credit
() expensive jewelry
() a designer bag that required being on a waiting list to get
(14) at least $100 cash in your possession right now
(15) more than two credit cards bearing your name (not counting gas cards or debit cards)
() a stock portfolio
(16) a passport
() a horse
() a trust fund (either for you or created by you)
(17) private medical insurance
() a college degree, and no outstanding student loans

Do you:
(18) shop for non-needed items for yourself (like clothes, jewelry, electronics) at least once a week
() do your regular grocery shopping at high-end or specialty stores
() pay someone else to clean your house, do dishes, or launder your clothes
() go on weekend mini-vacations
() send dinners back with every flaw
(19) wear perfume or cologne (not body spray)
() regularly get your hair styled or nails done in a salon
() have a job but don’t need the money OR
() stay at home with little financial sacrifice
() pay someone else to cook your meals
() pay someone else to watch your children or walk your dogs
() regularly pay someone else to drive you taxis
(20) expect a gift after you fight with your partner

Are you:
() an only child
() married/partnered to a wealthy person
(21) baffled/surprised when you don’t get your way
() been on a cruise
(22) traveled out of the country
(23) met a celebrity
() been to the Caribbean
(24) been to Europe
() been to Hawaii
(25) been to New York
(26) eaten at the space needle in Seattle
() been to the Mall of America
(27) been on the Eiffel tower in Paris
(28) been on the Statue of Liberty in New York
(29) moved more than three times because you wanted to
() dined with local political figures
(30) been to both the Atlantic coast and the Pacific coast

Did you:
() go to another country for your honeymoon
() hire a professional photographer for your wedding or party
(31) take riding or swimming lessons as a child
() attend private school
(32) have a Sweet 16 birthday party thrown for you

The real world…

As I was walking back from lunch today, I saw people walking out of their office buildings dressed in suits. And I realized that while I didnt really have to go to the library to study (I could easily have gone home to sleep), these people HAD to go back to work after lunch. And that sucks!

I’m so not ready for the real world. And it’s coming all too soon. Literally in two months I’m going to be working in hospital A LOT. And after the next to years it’s going to be a long period of time of hard work and numerous hours dedicated to the hospital. And honestly, as much as I’m looking forward to actually learning the skills…I have no desire to work. None.