Jon Bon Jovi came to town on May 17th. Joined by classmate Revathi and family friend Max, I enjoyed a night of rocking out to Bon Jovi's greatest hits. It's hard to believe JBJ is nearly 50... he's lookin' goooood. Check out the video clip below to see what I mean:
After living 89 beautiful years, raising five amazing children, and touching countless lives through education and song, my grandmother Betty Breckendfelder passed away on Tuesday, May 10. Though I didn't get to make it to Iowa for the funeral, I was assured that she was well remembered. I am especially grateful to my family, friends, and church for showing support through kind words and prayer.
Last weekend Amy hosted a Mac'n'Cheese party. Everyone brought their own crazy recipe inspired by a Huffington Post article. Clockwise from the top right: mac'n'cheese pizza (Aaron), mac'n'cheese burgers (mine!), bacon mac'n'cheese pie (Javier), mac'n'cheese grilled cheese panini (Sarah), and mac'n'cheese omelette (Amy). What a feast!
UPDATE: My church gave me the lovely altar flowers after today's services. The bouquet was so large and beautiful, I split it up into two vases and wanted to share them on the blog.
Sarah and I spent May Day downtown at iFest, Houston's international festival. After spending the morning examining newborns, changing diapers, and calculating caloric intake, I enjoyed breaking away from the hospital to enjoy a bit of culture outdoors. Sarah and I made a beeline for one of the many festival stages to snag front row spots for (as far as I was concerned) the main musical highlight of the entire event: Keb' Mo'!
Given the festival's short time slots, he was only able to play about 8-10 songs. Though I would have loved to hear more of his hits and my favorites, the set quickly drew to a close. I scored a set list from the stage and managed to get Keb' Mo' to sign it for me. What fun! Sarah and I spent the rest of the day wandering around the various vendor booths and snacking on some funnel cake.
On Tuesday May 3, I boarded a plane bound for Washington DC for a touchdown just shy of 7 hours. With a quick metro hop over to the convention center, I was able to check in at ACOG's Annual Clinical Meeting (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists). I breezed through the exhibitors (above), taking in the variety of pharmaceutical and technological innovations. Then I spent the afternoon at the residency fair, which provided medical students an opportunity to gain insight into what the next four years might hold. In the picture below, I'm joined by two fellow medical students and Baylor's Director of the Core Clinical Clerkship Dr. Leong-Kee.
Conveniently, I had my meeting with the Dean the following day to discuss my plans for the future. Though I had a great time on my clinical clerkship rotation and at the conference, it looks like ob/gyn is coming in behind emergency medicine as my specialty of choice. All of the decision making is exciting but a bit stressful, so it was nice to unwind with friends at Canyon Creek Cafe in the Heights (below). I recommend the Badd Ass Hott Dogg and a Country Ass Tea (frozen! yum!).
On Thursday, April 28th, a few med school friends and I participated in "Dining Out For Life." We ate a delicious dinner at Canopy, and a portion of the proceeds benefited local AIDS organizations. While we were waiting for our food to arrive, a photographer for OutSmart (Houston's gay, lesbian, bi, and trans magazine) snapped our mugs. We may be featured in an upcoming edition, which means we would be associated with the likes of Patty Duke, who graces the cover of the May edition. Update: I had the roasted beet salad and sweet potato gnocchi. YUM!
On Friday and Saturday of last weekend, I frolicked in Galveston with fellow Emergency Medicine groupies. The Texas College of Emergency Physicians (TCEP) held its annual meeting at Moody Gardens. I enjoyed meeting physicians, residents, and program directors from around the state. One of the highlights of the weekend was participating in the only student team in SimWars, a code simulation competition. Led by our own BCM genius Robert McArthur, our team held its own and even managed to impress the judges. Saturday night was filled with fun and dancing. Those EM people sure know how to have a good time!
After I finished my final exams of the Ob/Gyn clerkship, I headed to the airport to hop on a plane for Las Vegas. Since this weekend getaway was my first time in Sin City, I had a lot of ground to cover. Adam and I stayed at The Signature at MGM Grand, which was a very nice treat. Speaking of treats, we hit up the MGM's buffet for our first big meal on Friday morning. The food was good enough, but the pistachio ice cream was tops! After we got our fill, we watched the MGM's lions receive a hearty feeding of their own.
Penny-pincher that I am, it made sense to proceed slowly on the penny slots in my introduction to not-so-high-stakes gambling. Much to my surprise, my first dollar rapidly quintupled into $5! By the end of the weekend I was only up $1, but it was nice to end in the black. Too bad Adam's gambling venture didn't have such a happy ending. Next time, Mr. Tuttle, next time. In the afternoon we paused from our flirtation with Lady Luck and lounged by the pool.
For the rest of our day, we popped in and out of various casinos- checking out the elaborate lobbies and fun themes. We had dinner in New York, New York, then headed to the immaculate Bellagio for a glimpse Dale Chihuly's elaborate blown glass, the colorful flowers in the conservatory, and the majestic fountain show set to the tune of Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman's beautiful Time To Say Goodbye. We battled the crowds to make our way down the Strip to Treasure Island for their revamped pirate battle featuring the vixenish Sirens of TI. The night ended with gelato on the banks of the Venetian's Grand Canal.
Day #2 began with a quaint meal on cobblestone streets and beneath the artifical blue skies at Paris. I received my first and only complimentary drink of the weekend as I pressed my luck (below). Adam and I stopped by the 4-story M&M store before I needed a break from the hustle and bustle. We took a brief break in our luxurious hotel room to regroup, play cards, and watch the high school debate documentary Resolved (yes, we are debate geeks, no shame). We hit the streets again and participated in a focus group to give feedback about the pilot for I Hate that I Love You. No surprise here: I found the four-friend relationship jumble relatively amusing and Adam would have tuned out after the first ten minutes. At least we each pocketed $15 for our opinions!
For our last full night in Vegas, we ate tapas for dinner then saw the Cirque de Soleil show Ka. The set was impressive, acrobatics were amazing, and the concept was pretty unique. Our final day in Vegas was Easter, so we dressed in our Sunday best and headed to the Wynn for brunch. The cornucopia of food was a perfect last meal. We had time to wander off the Strip to visit Adam's cousin Caryn and her family for a bit. Then we ended the day with a tour of the Bellagio's art gallery and drinks at the snazzy Cosmopolitan. soon it was Time to Say Goodbye again, but this time without the Bellagio's waterworks. Adam had a long drive back to Irvine, and I had to get up early for my Pediatrics orientation at Texas Children's Hospital.
