Omaha Restaurant Week

Flatiron Cafe: seared scallop with
diced cucumbers and roma tomatoes

My favorite week of the whole year is here (and very sadly ending). Omaha Restaurant Week! This year 56 restaurants participated...each place comes up with a 3 course menu that is $20, $30 or $40. And then you can go to several places and get delicious food and love your life even more. It's especially nice for the places that are generally $100-200 bills for two people, but that you want to try because they are the most delicious places in the whole wide world (I'm looking at you Grey Plume). Well anyway, I went a little crazy this year and have gone to 5 places in the past 10 days. FIVE places. I never eat out that frequently! Oh well, my tummy and my soul are so so happy about it! (Bonus... part of the proceeds go to fight hunger in the Omaha area!) Here are the results...

Flatiron Cafe: Tahitian vanilla bean creme brulee

Flatiron Cafe: seared salmon with basil and edamame risotto

Modern Love: watermelon beet salad

Modern Love: panko crusted fried green tomato

Modern Love: polenta romesco with brussel sprouts

Modern Love: farroto with apple sausages
and roasted root vegetables

Modern Love: blueberry cheesecake

Modern Love: peach raspberry pie
with vanilla bean ice cream

The Grey Plume: first bite--orange mouse with
shaved fennel and fennel gel and roasted walnut

The Grey Plume: potato soup--crème fraîche,
truffle oil and potato salpicon

The Grey Plume: potato soup--adding the base

The Grey Plume: steelhead trout with summer succotash and fried okra

The Grey Plume: earl grey pot de crème with chocolate and cookie crumbles

Louie's Wine Dive: sweet and spicy fried catfish
with grits and pickled vegetables
**not pictured: margarita flatbread**

Louie's Wine Dive: 4 pork gnocchi
**not pictured: steak poutine**

Louie's Wine Bar: apple cobbler

Louie's Wine Dive: flourless chocolate cake

Taita: seafood platter--tuna tartar, smoked bluefish, salmon rillettes,
tofu with salmon ju, mushrooms and pickled eggplant

Taita: brown butter scallop with edamame

Taita: crab and seafood mousse tortellin

Taita: chocolate paxé

Working Gal!

Who's got two thumbs and is gainfully employed?

This gal!

Yay me! I'm going to work at a local YMCA doing preschool. It's going to be pretty fabulous. I'll have 2s, 3s, 4s and some 5s that didn't make the birthday cut for schools. It's going to be awesome and filled with lots of laughter at the weird things that kids do.

Perhaps later today (when class doesn't start in 15 minutes), I'll write about my birthday extravaganza weekend. Perhaps. Hope all is well!

Emergency Preparedness

I figured since I'm in public health now, I should write about public health things. Okay...you caught me. I've been writing about public health things since the get-go. Why didn't one of you suggest I do public health sooner!?! I digress...

September is National Preparedness Month! This means making a plan, getting supplies and having conversations with your family. Theoretically you should have enough supplies to last you and your family for at least 72 hours. According to a news release earlier this week from Governor Heineman, these things should be in your emergency kit:

• battery-powered or crank radio
• weather alert radio
• extra batteries
• first aid kit
• sanitary wipes
• dust mask
• water for drinking and sanitation
• water purification tablets
• waterproof matches and/or butane lighter
• crank flashlight
• plastic sheeting
• non-perishable food for at least three days
• disinfectants and medications.
• medical information for entire family, including details about dosages of required medications and a list of known health issues
• warm clothes and sleeping bags for winter
• extra hydration and bug-repellant for summer/fall

In addition to the kit, an emergency plan should be drafted for the family so everyone can be on the same page if something happens to the house or the family gets separated. Here is one that you can just fill in the blanks!

Make sure your kits are easily accessible and movable, if necessary! You can find more information on the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency's website: http://www.nema.ne.gov/index.shtml. 

Stay safe friends! You never know when fire, tornadoes or floods will hit! 

Christmas Spectacular

Soooooo...exciting news! The Rockettes (as in the legs for days, kicklines for hours Rockettes) were in town tonight and put on a master class! So I got to be a Rockette for precisely one hour. Which is super lucky because you actually have to be 5'6"-5'10" to make it usually...

We danced. It was fabulous. We learned the kickline from the video below (obviously it looked just like that when I did it too! The kickline starts at about 3:10). I kicked higher or just as high as all of the girls in my group, which isn't bad for my old lady legs who haven't stretched since June! ( :/ ...oops!).

Oh and school is happening too. I really love it and this week I'm already writing two papers! Labor Day weekend was great fun as well. Surprised Uncle Pat with a birthday party and spent lots of time with family. All in all, a grand old time!

And now, I plan to soak my sore muscles in a hot bath!

And proof! I'm in the second row on the right; the Rockette teaching us is on the far left!

19th Grade

So actually I'm not sure how to qualify what "grade" I'm in. Do I count M1 year as one grade, even though I did it twice (effectively)? And because I'm not staying in medical school, I'm not even sure if that counts at all....?

Well anyway, today was the first day of my 19th year of schooling. HOLY BUCKETS! I must really love school or something! (I'll let you in on a little secret, I love school).

This semester I only have one class that actually meets in person. It's "Introduction to Maternal and Child Health". I had it this afternoon for just shy of 3 hours. I like it, but it's very different from medical school. It's much slower paced and I have to admit that I was a little bored. I'm very used to needing to process more information, more quickly in class, but I'm sure it will pick up pace once we don't have to do syllabus sorts of things.

My other two courses are online: Epidemiology and Health Behavior. I've already had to take a few quizzes, even before classes officially started! Yuck. We shall see how I like online classes...I'm sure they will be quite different from the two online classes I took at CCC after my freshman year at Hastings College (I just have this sneaking suspicion that graduate level online classes are harder than Composition 101).

It's also going to be a transition to not have every minute of my day scheduled with class or studying. The program I'm in is designed for working professionals, so most people are employed in some manner. I'm trying to figure out exactly what I will do, but I'm sure it will be something because I'm kind of already going stir crazy with the lack of things penciled in to my beautiful new planner. So if anyone is looking for an employee in the Omaha area, let me know! :)

It was a good day and now I must figure out when things are due for my online classes!

Yay books! 

CSA

green onions, tomato, radishes, rhubarb, asparagus,
popcorn, quark cheese and red, white and blue bread

This summer I signed up for a CSA--community supported agriculture--and I have absolutely fallen in love with it! The idea is that you buy "shares" of local farmer's crops and get a bag of vegetables/fruit in return every week. You get to eat locally and you also support local farmers. It's a win-win for everyone involved!

kale (so much kale!!!), tomatoes, broccoli, radishes, eggs, zucchini and strawberries

I loved it so much that I've signed up for a fall one too! Yesterday, I found out that the company I'm going through (the farmer's market that organizes all of the produce from the farmers and gets it distributed to all of the vegetable-loving peoples) is doing a winter CSA too! I'm actually a little bit bummed that I won't be able to do that one. But it's only because it features meat every week and that's pretty much pointless for me, but if you're in the Omaha area and you're interested, please let me know!

onions, beets, walnuts, potatoes, zucchini and a baguette

Not only do I get veggies each week, but I also get a fresh loaf of bread from a local bakery as well as a dozen farm fresh eggs/local cheese on alternating weeks. It's been really wonderful to expand my vegetable and cheese horizons and also work on cooking different things! The bags were designed for families of 4, so I even have a nice stash frozen for the winter! Sometimes they throw in other stuff like local honey, granola, popcorn from a local farm, a basil plant and lots of other stuff!

It's been a wonderful adventure and I look forward to the new types of squash I'm sure I'll get to try in the coming weeks with my fall veggie bags! I have been eating VERY well this summer!

the cutest little strawberries! they make my hand look like a giant hand! :)

bruschetta from the tomatoes, onions, basil and bread from my bags!

green beans, peaches, corn, pickling cucumbers, broccoli,
squash, nettle cheese, and Popeye bread

I pickled the cucs, squash and onions. Yum!

Squash, green bean and zucchini crepes from the bags.
Chives from my herb pot! :)

potatoes, zucchini, green peppers, green beans, basil,
peaches, corn, eggs, and Indian bread

onions, potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, squash, kale,
garlic pepper cheddar cheese, kale, and a baguette

Thursdays are the best days!

Today was an excellent day and here's why!

1. I went shopping and realized overalls are back in style. I knew this day was coming, but I hadn't seen them in stores yet. Overalls are the best. I'm SO excited to dig out my old pair(s)... 

2. I found a new restaurant I like! Okay, well it's not new, but it's still delicious. I see you VooDoo Taco.

3. I picked up my veggie bag today. Thursdays are the best! (More on that later)

4. I've been babysitting this week and Mr. Owen had a great day today at the park and blowing bubbles. Kids are funny :)

I think that sums it up pretty well...

OH WAIT!

5. I received word today that I got into a certificate program at the UNMC College of Public Health, so I will be starting classes in just a few weeks on maternal and child health (from a public health perspective). Soon I will also be applying to get my masters in public health from there with a concentration in public health promotion.

Lots of changes this summer, but I'm SUPER excited to be staying on the UNMC campus. I hope everyone else had a great day too! 

Take Steps for Crohn's and Colitis

I'm so excited because finally the pictures are in from our walk the beginning of June! Thanks to everyone who supported me by getting a t-shirt or coming to the walk! 

Team Intestinal Fortitude.

Megan is REALLY serious about power walking. :) 

The Burrs bringing up the end of our group with the babies! 

Guest Blogger: Part 2

Our VIP guest blogger, Jim, has finally graced us with a follow up to his first blog about his journey towards getting a cochlear implant last month. It's been quite the journey, but I'll let Papa Jim tell you all about it.

As the Ears Go By: Plugged In, But Not Clued In--The second in a series on one man's experience in getting a cochlear implant

Well folks, it’s clear I have issues with written assignment deadlines. You needn’t take my word for it, since I have dozens of educators who will vouch for me. But enough groveling, because I have big news to announce. I have an installed cochlear implant! I had the surgery to install the implant at Boys Town National Research Hospital in Omaha, NE, June 16th. 

I had to report to the hospital at 8:20 a.m. that morning, so my wife, Deb, and I left Hastings, NE at 5:30 a.m. Ugh. Deb drove, and I snoozed, and my daughter, Jenny, who lives in Omaha, met us there. Once checked in, it was straight to my…umm…guest room, I guess, for a quick change into the traditional backless gown. I was then given a valium, attached to an IV, followed by a injected dosage of muscle relaxant. I crawled onto the little patient cart, and was gently pushed into several stationary objects on the way to an elevator. Once in the elevator, I passed out, and awoke in my room again. I think this is the first time I wasn’t conscious going into the operating room. That staff knows its muscle relaxants. It felt like it only took five minutes for a scheduled two and a half-hour procedure that wound up taking four hours. 

The major negative concerns going into this procedure were the remote possibility of developing meningitis, possible damage to the vestibular system, and possible facial nerve damage. Well, I had two boosters to prevent the meningitis, eight weeks apart, and I don’t have it now, so that worked. My first attempt to stand was surprisingly successful, so no damage to the balance system. The facial nerve issue was a bit more complex than I realized, as the cochlear sclerosis creates what was described to me as a “soft bone tissue growth”. In essence, it can enable the electronic impulses from the implant to go beyond the intended path, and activate the facial nerve. Or maybe deactivate it, because the left side of my face could have gone numb. Anyway, long story short, they tested the connection while I was under, and I was good to go, and knew it when I awoke. 

That same test also checks objectively that the auditory nerve was responding. Since it hadn’t been stimulated in a couple of years, it was a concern in my mind. It’s amazing what all I got done while unconscious. Recovery was the usual routine: take a short walk, then come back for a robe, walk again, eat jello, wash it down with chicken broth, and repeatedly make the same statements and ask the same questions over and over again as if it were the first time. Anesthesia is a wonderful thing. The procedure was outpatient, so I got dressed, and Deb and I made the trip home Monday evening. 

My head was wrapped in a Velcro strap that held the bandages, and presumably, my ear in place. That, combined with the standard post-surgical bed-head, was the look I sported for the next three days. Tuesday was no big deal, as I stayed home. Invasive as having my scalp rolled back, then having a hole bored in part of my skull, and another hole drilled into my inner ear sounds, this was as mild a surgery as I’ve ever experienced; so I put in a half-day at work Wednesday. A more critical look in the mirror convinced me to buy a shower cap for Thursday’s venture, (to cover my ear in the shower, not to wear to work), and the Velcro wrap came off. I also removed the left temple from my glasses to avoid hitting anything vital around my ear. 

Let’s move forward to June 25th, and I made the drive to Omaha again, hair mostly shampooed, this time for a reasonable 1:30 p.m. appointment for an x-ray, then a post-surgical inspection and bandage removal with the surgeon, followed by an appointment with the audiologist, whom I shall call “Jenny”, mostly because that’s her name. Jenny showed me the contents a briefcase-sized case, filled with what she said was $8000 worth of sound processors, rechargeable batteries, ear hooks, cables, coils, magnets, remote controls, and a coupon for some free “Skin-Its” just in case I want to cherry up my units. That’s right, plural. You get an extra everything, just in case repairs are needed to the primary unit. 

Anyway, the big moment had arrived. I got activated. And suddenly, I could hear…more varieties of tinnitus. That’s right, ringing in the ears, only with accurate pitches. I could whistle a scale, and I heard it pitch for pitch, but about three octaves higher. Any sound I heard that could be visually verified I checked, and I was receiving the signal in real time, no delay of any kind. The only sound I found that is virtually the same electronically as it is acoustically is cricket chirping. Now I understand why someone with developed language skills has visits with speech pathologists in his future. I’m getting sound, but none of it means anything to me. The really hard work is still in front of me.

End of the line.

It's been about 2 months since my last post. That's not to say that I haven't had lots going on, but all of that for other posts. Instead, this post is about something bigger in my life.

With lots of sadness and some outright fear of the unknown, I would like to announce that I have decided not to go back to medical school in the fall.

I want to thank everyone who has supported me along this journey. Thank you to the people who helped me get into medical school, my family and friends, the administration and professors at UNMC, Mr. Justin, and everyone else whom I've met along the way. It has been quite the adventure the past two years...definitely not how I had planned or hoped my medical school career going, but sometimes real life doesn't quite match the vision we have for ourselves.

As of right now, I am not sure what the next step is for me, although I have something in the works. I will be sure to update y'all if it comes to fruition. I do know that I will still be in Omaha for the next two years (I signed my soul over to CoxCommunications, so I'm sort of stuck here) and I am confident that I will find a vocation, and maybe even a career, that will allow me to be happy and fulfilled.

I am so proud of my friends who just completed their Step 1 USMLE tests and are getting a crash course in patient care before heading to the wards later this week. Good luck to my rising M2 friends during 2nd year and boards studying! Thank you all for inspiring me every day to be a better person and caregiver.

In other news, I'll be needing a new title for this blog, so shoot some my way if you've got 'em!