Call me butter, 'cause I'm on a roll

We made it through the holidays with nary a scratch. It was nice to see the kids open their gifts on Christmas morning and to have my in laws here. We got a playhouse of sorts for the kids to use outside. It's a little mini house, complete with fake fireplace and fake food. It has a real doorbell though. I could regale you with the tale of how my father in law and I put the playhouse together, but it would mostly come down to "AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!" Luckily we had a drill that was mostly functional (when the battery was charged) which made it go smoother. I've put together enough toys to have a working knowledge of idiotic pictures which not only look nothing like the product you're trying to assemble, but seem to actively inhibit you putting it together. The directions had no words, only pictures, and it seemed they were drawn by the 3 year old the playhouse is for. So that was a little challenging. We did have to put it together outside since it was big enough that it wouldn't fit through the patio door once assembled and while it is L.A. (lower Alabama) it was a little nippy outside. It was an experience I'm sure will be repeated many times over the next 18 years.

With the holidays over, it was time to get back to normal with work for Jen and I and school for the kids. With my new job, I didn't get the 3 weeks off for winter break I used to when I was teaching, and I did kind of miss it. But not having all that time off did make it easier to go back to work. Work is going very well at the moment. I have a good pharmacy student and an excellent pharmacy resident on rotation with me this block. I hope they are enjoying learning about psych pharmacy as much as I enjoy teaching them. I also have some research I'm working on which I'm thoroughly enjoying. I have a couple papers and posters I am hoping to get accepted soon. I seem to enjoy the research and writing much more now that it's not required. I don't know if it's because I can work at my own pace and there's not something hanging over my head that says "if you don't do this, you may not have a job any more" or what. But I'm sure that's not it at all though.... I've had an M4 medical student do a couple weeks with me in the clinic after Christmas and it was a great experience for both of us, I think. I feel like I learned more about medical education and what med students are capable of at that level. Which is basically everything. I guess it could have been just that student though. I also had a pharmacy student shadow me in the clinic around that time and I know I can count on her to bring her A game to clinic since she wants to become a psych pharmacist. It was good to have both students with me at the same time, since they were able to complement each others' knowledge base. I actually had them do a mini-inservice to each other with the med student presenting on diagnostic criteria for psychotic disorders and the pharmacy student presenting on treatment. It turned out better than I thought it would.

Jen's had a stressful month in the pharmacy. It started out bad, but it did gradually get better. A couple of the problems: beginning of the year, so everyone seems to have new insurance and they don't know it. Or their deductible resets for the new year and don't remember this fact until they have already paid for their prescriptions. January 3rd was especially bad. First business day of the new year It was also the first business day of the month and the 3rd is when everyone gets their SSI checks. The entire situation was complicated by the fact that some of Jen's pharmacy techs didn't renew their licenses on time and they can't work without being licensed. So it made for a hectic week for her being short staffed. Things seem to be settling down for her now though so that's a good thing.

The kids are doing well. We got a great "report card" from Beka's preschool. She is excelling in almost every area and the teachers say she'll likely be reading at the end of the school year. How awesome is that? Apparently, she has the social skills of a 5 year old. At least that's what they tell us. Raymond is doing just as well. He finally decided that walking is a good thing and is toddling all over the place. He is doing fine after his tubes were placed and (fingers crossed) no ear infections, even though he had a cold this past week. I am hopeful that this will be the end, at least for a little while, of the constant ear infections. I really think they were affecting his balance and that's why he took so long to walk. Or not. I'm not an ENT so what do I know? Beka went to a friend's birthday party this past weekend at the local "paint your own" place and had a blast. She and another girl are basically inseparable and BFFs. It's actually kind of sweet.

And the other big event from this past weekend was the Evanescence concert Jen and I went to in Biloxi. We went early to eat dinner with a friend at the casino buffet (which was much more expensive than I thought) and we pigged out. We had to, if only to get our money's worth. After dinner, we went to the concert. The place was actually a fairly small venue for such a well known band with maybe a few thousand people present. We had seats in the 14th row, but we were able to see everything very well. We missed the opening band, but did see the second band before Evanescence went on (called Rival Sons) and I didn't really like them, not because they were bad performers or had bad songs. They just weren't my cup of tea. They sounded a little like Black Crowes, who I like, but not enough like them that I was enjoying their music. It seemed kind of an odd pairing anyway. That kind of music before Evanescence didn't gel with me. Then Ev came on. Amy Lee was amazing and the band was tight as well. They were spot on and they actually played my favorite song off the new album, "Sick", so I was rocking out to that one even more than the other songs. I tried to video record it with my phone, but it didn't get any of the music, only the video. Yeah, it kind of sucks. But otherwise Jen and I had a great time and I was really happy to get to see Ev play live. We didn't get home until almost 1 AM, but it was so worth the exhaustion the next day. Well, at least for me it was.

Hopefully, I'll have more updates soon. Have fun!

December is a busy month

Like most of the rest of the world, December is a busy month for our family. It started off with Raymond and me being sick. Let's start with me since I was easy. I finally went to my PCP and got some good medication to knock out whatever was ailing me before. Raymond was on antibiotics, which cleared his ear infection. Well a week later he gets another one (with fevers as high as 103.6). Then we were put on the same antibiotic he finished the week prior (Omnicef). Why? I don't know. I fought for a different antibiotic, but was shut down. Then we end up at an urgent care place in Atlanta because he still has fevers and his ear hurts. We get a new antibiotic (Bactrim) and he actually starts to feel better. Then this morning Jen notices what she thinks is a rash, but isn't sure. I pick him up from day care and sure enough he has a rash all over his trunk. He's not itchy or having trouble with it. I call the pediatrician and get the nurse on call. Why I don't get a doctor I don't know. I have no problem with nurses answering questions, but she wasn't much help. All she says is that we need to bring Raymond into the office to see if it's really a rash (seriously? I am a health care professional). Would I be able to get a new medicine for his ear infection called in since he still has that? No, not until he's seen by the pediatrician. I bring him into the office the next day and yep, he is allergic to sulfa drugs and still has an ear infection. Finally we get put on Zithromax and this seems to be working. Our doctor actually commented that she didn't know why the fill in doctor we saw last week put him on the same antibiotic he just finished. I obviously agreed with her. At least now he is feeling better.

We actually also got an ENT referral by our pediatrician (finally!). I had already made an appointment with one recommended by a coworker who just had her son's tubes put in, but the gesture was nice. The appointment went well and Raymond will be getting tubes next week. Hopefully this will help him not get as many ear infections. It's kind of ridiculous that it's taken this long.

On top of all the sicknesses, we had some holiday parties to go to. The first was my work party which was held at a colleague's house in Fairhope. We got a baby sitter for the kids, even though they were invited to the party because it was going to be too late for them anyway. And I knew I wouldn't have had as much fun if I had to be constantly saying, "Beka, don't touch that. Raymond, put that down." etc. We had a good time chatting and eating with some of my coworkers. It was nice to see people outside of the work environment. We also had a holiday party for Jen's work. They did a dirty Santa gift exchange. I spent almost the entire time hanging out with the host's husband in his bonus room watching football. Seeings as we were the only 2 guys at the party, there wasn't much of a choice, but I genuinely liked him and I hope we can find some time to get together again.

We also went to my in-laws house in Atlanta to have an early Christmas with the family. Jen's brother and sister-in-law came down from Rochester to visit. It was nice to have everyone together, especially because it's such a rare occurrence. However, there was some drama before we left home. Well, I get home from work and let the dogs out like I always do. They make a bee-line for the fence, where they had been apparently digging a hole for a while. Biding their time until they could make their escape. Well, they get out, I run outside after them, calling their names the whole time. Of course they don't come immediately back. I go out in the car to look for them with 2 starving children in tow and I can't find them anywhere. Oh, I think I forgot to mention that they were supposed to go to the doggy hotel for boarding that evening after they went outside because we were leaving early the next morning for ATL. Yeah, seriously messed up. So they don't come back until 5 hours later, which is much too late to take them to the doggy hotel. I seriously didn't think they were going to come back, but when I went to take out the trash, they were in the garage waiting for me. So we ended up having to bring them in the morning and leaving much later than we wanted to for the family Christmas. Which sucked. But all in all, it was a good weekend. I got some really nice gifts, including an awesome new watch. All the kids got together to buy one big gift this year for Jen's parents. We decided on a new flat screen HD TV. We needed to bring them into the 21st century. When I walked in carrying the TV, the look on Debbie and Corny's face was priceless. It was surprise, disbelief, and joy all at once. Seeing that is what Christmas is all about. Of course, Beka and Raymond made out like bandits, and that's even before Christmas morning!

We also went to Bellingrath Gardens which is a local attraction that, during Christmas, transforms the gardens into a light show. So we took the kids, with some of our friends and their 3 year old, to see all the Christmas lights. We went last year, but I thought it would be different. It wasn't, but it was still fun to go and see the kids' reaction to all the lights. Also, there is going to be a surprise visit on Christmas eve from Gramma and Grampa for the kids. The kids don't know that they'll be coming, so it'll be nice to see how they react.

Work for me is going well. I have submitted a paper for publication, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be accepted. I am also working on submitting a couple abstracts for the CPNP annual meeting that discusses some research I am working on. I always look forward to that meeting every year, not only because I get to see friends I only really see at the meeting, but because I actually get a chance to learn something.

Anyway, that'll be it for me. Have a great new year!

It's definitely not seasonal allergies

I feel like some updates are in order. I have been working and enjoying my new job. I thought I would miss teaching, and I do, but not as much as I thought. I have a lot more time for doing research, writing papers, and focusing on my rotation students. I like to think I have become a better preceptor than before because 1. I have more time in clinic for the students to become more comfortable in psych and 2. I have more time to devote to teaching them. I can't say any of this with absolute certainty of course. I have to wait until next summer to see my evaluations from this year and compare them with last year's. I hope it comes out that the rotation is better.

In the past month we have had some real health issues. Raymond got an ear infection, which we thankfully caught early. Well, after over a week on the antibiotic, it turns out he is allergic to it. How do I know this, you ask? He broke out into hives all over his body. Now, it wasn't as bad as when Beka had the same reaction to the same antibiotic. She couldn't even walk because her joints were so swollen. Raymond's didn't get that bad, but it did get serious enough to treat with steroids and benadryl. When we brought him into the pediatrician they saw his ears were clear, so we didn't get another antibiotic. Of course, a week later, he has to go back (this time to the urgent care place on a Saturday) to the doctor for, you guessed it, another ear infection. And then they give him another antibiotic, which he isn't allergic to yet, but I am. See, cephalosporins make me break out in hives just like Raymond did with penicillins and they gave him an antibiotic in that class. So I have to be super careful when I am administering it to him not to get any on me or breathe it in. Turns out, I don't actually have to ingest any of the medicine for it to cause me to have a rash. After administering just one dose, I got a drop of it on the back of my hand. I washed it off with soap and water. Within 30 minutes, I had a rash there, which didn't go away for a full day. So now I try to have Jen give him the medicine whenever we can. He seems to be getting better now thankfully. I think it might be time to look into tubes from an ENT.

I have been sick recently as well. I got "the crud" a few weeks back. I went to the urgent care place and was given steroids (since "the crud" was making me have fairly severe coughing fits and my asthma got a lot worse) and an antibiotic. After about 5 days, I was breathing much better, but I still had stuffed up ears, nose, and a sore throat. At Jen's insistence, I went back to the urgent care and got prescribed a different antibiotic, but no more steroids since my lungs were clear. Well, here I am 2 weeks later and I still have a cough, stuffiness, and ear pain. And I know what you are thinking, yes, I did take all my antibiotic and finished it out. Jen seems to think I need to go to my primary doctor to have him check me out and that my asthma is getting worse. She's probably right, but I don't really have time to go to the regular doctor during the week. I will probably make an appointment next week if I am still having issues.

We had a good Thanksgiving, especially since this was the first time she didn't have to work since we moved to Alabama. In the morning, I played in our church's "Turkey bowl" held at the local high school stadium. There was a great showing, which kinda sucked since there were so many people it was difficult to play. I really would like to get involved with an adult kickball or dodgeball league so I can be more active. Unfortunately, there are a lot of barriers to this, including who will watch the kids so I can do this on the nights Jen's working. OK, that was completely random and off topic. I guess it's late enough that my ADHD meds are wearing off. Back to Thanksgiving. Jen made a turkey breast and all the trimmings. It turned out amazing! Not that I am surprised; she's a good cook. Jen did have to work the rest of the long weekend, but it was nice to have that time together.

Jen and I went to our last Auburn game using my faculty tickets. It was the Samford game and while we had a good time, the football team didn't play very well, until the second half. This didn't bode well for the following week for the Iron Bowl. Speaking of the Iron Bowl, I got to go with a friend who is an Alabama fan. He's not obnoxious or anything, so it was a lot of fun. Auburn kept it fairly close until the 4th quarter, when Alabama decided to crack open that gallon jug of whoop-ass. As I said though, it was fun. The 3 1/2 hour drive, each way, didn't seem that long and we had some good conversation. I need to give a shout out to my mother-in-law for coming down from Georgia and watching the kids since Jen had to work.

We are getting ready for Christmas around here. The tree isn't up yet and we don't have decorations up, but we have done a large portion of our gift buying. I have to say ordering online with free shipping is probably one of my keys to a less stressful (notice I didn't say stress free) holiday season. We will be doing Christmas early with Jen's family since she has to work Christmas weekend. Her brother and sister-in-law will be coming down from NY and we'll meet them all in Georgia. We'll still have a traditional Christmas at home, but it won't be the same.

Well, I'll try to blog again about all our holiday season festivities. We are planning on going to Bellingrath Gardens, a company holiday party, and other various activities. Have a great Christmas or Chanukah or Saturnalia or Festivus or whatever you celebrate!

TV, Books, and Music

I figured since I am bored tonight, I would give a general overview of TV shows I am watching, books I'm reading, and music I'm listening to.

As far as TV is concerned, I'm still watching some long time favorites like The Office, but it doesn't seem as funny as it used to. I don't think it's because Michael Scott left; it started to go downhill before that. I still make sure to watch it every week, but the funny factor went from every episode being comedy gold to only one in four being that good. Breaking Bad finished its season a few weeks ago, but I am still completely engrossed in it and can't wait for it to come back next year. Glee has been off the air for the past few weeks, but the first couple episodes of the season were good. I am still waiting for some more songs I know. I think this makes me sound old, since most of the songs recently have been newer pop songs. At least, Jen seems to think I'm old. Modern Family is as funny as ever. Great show and every week I can't wait to watch it. Same with the Big Bang Theory. When they had both Wil Wheaton and Brent Spiner on, I completely geeked out and it was great to see them on TV.

A couple new-ish shows I am still enjoying:

Raising Hope: I'm glad it got renewed for this season since we got into it pretty late last year. The writing on the show is good and the actors are great for their parts.

Happy Endings: A mid-season replacement from last year that also got renewed for this season. I think it's a funny show, the characters have a lot of chemistry, and it seems that they are going for a more "edgy" Friends kind of show.

The Sing Off: Liked this show the past 2 years when it was on for a few weeks around Christmas time. I like the addition of a new judge and the singing is first class. The judges aren't snarky or mean like on other shows and when they have a criticism it is always given in a constructive manner. I seem to have the same problem that I have with Glee though: I seem to be too old for some of the songs.

New shows from this season

Last Man Standing: I am glad to see Tim Allen back on TV. It's basically the same show as Home Improvement, but now he works at a sporting goods store, has 3 daughters (not sons), and the story lines are more modern and less preachy. I didn't think Jen would like this one, but she actually does.

Once Upon a Time: Fairy-tale story updated. I think it's a rip off of the Fables comic book series by Bill Willingham, but the details are different. I guess maybe you could say it was "inspired by" Fables. I'm enjoying the show so far (only 2 episodes in) and I am interested to see where they go with it.

Up All Night: Baby comedy with Christina Applegate and Will Arnett. It's funny and I like it, but I don't know how long the writers can keep it fresh.

Pan Am: I haven't actually watched it yet, but I record it to my DVR every week. I figure when I don't have anything else to watch, I can catch up. I don't know if it's getting favorable reviews, but I'll still watch it because of Christina Ricci.

Jen likes to watch a bunch of TLC shows (Little Couple, Sister Wives, etc.) and The Biggest Loser, which I don't usually watch with her, but I do on occasion. I can't understand the fascination with Sister Wives, but once in a while I enjoy watching The Biggest Loser. Until someone starts crying because they only lost 9 lbs and not 10 or they are having an "emotional breakthrough". I get enough of that at work. Oh, and the ridiculous music that supposedly "builds tension" during the weigh-in is over the top and completely unneeded.

OK, onto some books. Of course I read A Dance with Dragons, which was awesome. I don't want to have to wait another 4 years for the next book though. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline is a great book for anyone who likes fast paced science fiction set in the near dystopian future and has a healthy love for everything 1980's: video games, movies, pop culture, etc. Even if you don't love the 80's its still a great read. I also recently read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card which I did enjoy and think I'll pick something else up by him next time I am lacking something to read. I am currently reading the conclusion to the Acacia Trilogy called The Sacred Band by David Anthony Durham and I am enjoying it thus far. If you haven't checked out this series, I think it's worth a read. The first book reads more like a historical fiction, but it is still good. On my reading list for the next few months (in order of getting read): The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson, 11/22/63 by Stephen King, The Kingdom of Gods (book 3 of a trilogy) by N.K. Jemisin, Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence, and only last because it won't be out until Spring is A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. I do have a Goodreads account if you want to see more of the books I like.

As far as music, it won't surprise those of you who know my taste in music who I've been listening to recently. The new Evanescence album came out a few weeks ago and I have to say, I am impressed. I am really enjoying it and it's much heavier than their previous albums. Amy Lee's voice is still the best female voice in rock right now in my opinion. Her voice is full of emotion and the lyrics seem to fit the songs very well. The drum parts are also more complex than the previous two albums, but I am probably the only one who noticed. I'm also digging the new 3 Doors Down album and the new StainD album. 3DD don't change the formula, but it's still good music. StainD's new album is their heaviest since Dysfunction which was their first album. Enjoying it for sure.

Well, that's all for now. If you've got a suggestion for tv, book, or music leave it in the comments. I think I've wasted enough time talking about watching tv, reading, and listening to music. Time to go do one of those three!

Birthday and Halloween

So Raymond had his first birthday party a couple weeks ago. I know, I can't believe it either. He seems to be growing much faster than Beka did, but probably not. We didn't have a big party or anything, since he won't really know what's going on, but it was nice to have family come in. My mother and father in law came and so did my mom. My mom was planning to drive up with my grandparents and aunt, but they had to turn around because my grandfather fell and hurt himself. He is fine now and I'm glad everything is back to normal there. So my mom ended up flying to Atlanta and driving down for the weekend. Well, weekend is stretching it. 36 hours is more like it. She came in Friday night and left very early Sunday morning. I am glad she was here though and able to share in the festivities and visit with her grandkids.

At the party, Raymond seemed much more aware of what was going on than Beka had. We got a free "smash cake" from Publix since we ordered a first birthday cake there. Kind of cool actually. He was in his glory, I think. We took some video of it and even though my grandparents, step-father, and aunt couldn't be there, they were able to Skype to see the mess that was Raymond's first cake experience. He just went right for it, digging his hands into the middle of the cake and dragging out entire handfuls to shove into his mouth. Most of the cake ended up on him and not in him though. He had to get a bath immediately after the cake fiasco and the water in th
e tub was quite filthy with cake. He then opened his presents and, as you would expect from a one year old, was really interested in the packaging. He did eventually get to the toys and he did like them.

After the party we took the family to the local corn maze (Barnhill Farms) to pick out a pumpkin and have fun getting lost in the corn stalks. It was actually quite a warm day for mid October in Alabama, but we had fun. Beka did great "leading" the family and using her map to navigate us out of the maze. She also enjoyed all the other activities they had like riding in cows fashioned out of 55 gallon drums pulled by a tractor and the "corn box" which is a sandbox, but filled with corn kernels. Raymond was tired and hot when we left, but the grandparents took good care of him while Jen and I enjoyed some time with Beka. It was a good weekend and I think everyone enjoyed themselves.

Jen and I went as Julius Caesar and his wife this year for Halloween. We needed costumes for the Wake the Dead party put on by the local Phi Delta Chi chapter (of which I was inducted as a graduate brother last Spring). That's what we decided on since it would be easy and didn't require me to try on a thousand different costumes. The Wake the Dead party was a lot of fun. We got a babysitter and we were out past 11 pm for the first time in a long time. Even though we don't drink, it was nice to catch up with some of my former students and see how things are going at Auburn since I left. As I've said before, that is the part of my former job I miss the most. Jen and I were also delighted to have some time to ourselves just to talk about whatever without being interrupted constantly by children. It was a late night and I was tired the next day at work, but it was worth it and we were both glad to have gone.


We also had the "Trunk or Treat" at church on Friday night. It is a great way to trick or treat in a safe environment where you know there aren't going to be razor blades in the candy. Jen was working so she wasn't able to go. Usually I would decorate my trunk and handout candy, but if I did that I wouldn't have been able to take the kids around. Anyway, Beka had fun and she had good practice for the main event on Monday. We were joined by a friend and his daughter for the trunk or treat and it was made that much more enjoyable. I was one of the handful of adults dressed up in costume, but it makes it more fun for me. Halloween is my favorite non-religious holiday. However, I was completely unprepared for the chilly night. Beka is dressed up in her Tinkerbell costume and Raymond was dressed up in his spider costume. I figured they would be warm enough while trick or treating, but I was wrong. Raymond didn't have anything on his arms, so he was cold and Beka didn't have anything on her arms or legs. Thankfully, our friend brought some extra clothes for his daughter and I was able to put some pants on Beka. I still had no coats on this blustery night for either child, so I should probably win father of the year. Since it was so chilly outside, we didn't stay very long, but Beka still got her fill of candy.

Saturday night we had a nice party at a neighbor's house. They have a daughter a little older than Beka, but she had a good time. She didn't really know anyone else there and she fell down the stairs leading to the back yard twice (she was fine), but she still enjoyed the games and hay ride. She was overtired though because she refused a nap earlier in the day. This tiredness is probably why she fell.

So now we get to do the main event on Monday. We are just going to go around our immediate neighborhood, but it should still be fun. Raymond still won't know what's going on, but Beka will enjoy being able to dress up one last time before we retire the costume. She'll get her fill of candy yet again. The only problem is that she doesn't really like a ton of different kinds of candy, mostly just chocolate in all its various forms. It's a problem for Jen and I since we end up eating WAY too much candy.

One last thing. A plea for a Miami Dolphins win. I mean I just watched them blow a nice lead last week against the Broncos and this week again against the Giants. Seriously guys, get your stuff together and win one game. That's all I'm asking; just one. As a lifelong Fins fan, I can't stand to see them lose week after week after week. I guess maybe if they continue to lose, they'll get the first pick in the draft and hopefully they'll draft a quarterback. I like Andrew Luck from Stanford, but I don't really have a say. Again, my plea is to win just one game. Thanks, Your loyal fan Ray.

Various updates

So, I have been strangely silent on the blog lately, mostly because there isn't a lot going on and I've been busy. Now you're probably thinking "how can you have nothing going on and still be busy?" Well, the answer is pretty simple, I've been busy doing every day things that aren't necessarily blog-worthy. But in the spirit of being true to the blog, I'll provide some updates.

We've been to a couple Auburn games this year already and had a good time at both of them. That means we've also been doing a lot of driving. And a lot of visiting with my in laws who watch the kids while Jen and I go to the game (thanks!). It's nice because we are able to spend some quality time together without the kids to talk about adult things. The games we attended were the Miss State game which went right down to the last seconds and the FAU game which didn't. The next game we go to will be the Samford game and we sold our Florida and Ole Miss tickets. Then I get to go to the Iron Bowl with a good friend who, unfortunately, is an Alabama fan. We should have fun though.

Speaking of driving, my car finally had to have some major work done on it. I was telling a friend a couple weeks ago about how my car was low maintenance, didn't need a lot of repairs, and was generally a great vehicle. Well, the next day, it completely died on me. The air bag light had been on for a little bit, but I didn't really think anything of it. Well, I had gotten home from work and needed to check out a doggy day care place around here for my mom when she comes to visit for Raymond's birthday in a week. So before I pick up the kids from person day care, I stop by to check it out. I come out only to find that my car won't start. Battery is dead, alternator is shot, etc. Well, I am stranded, but I need to get the kids from daycare. So Jen sends her pharmacy student in her car to jump me. Turns out the jumper cables I had weren't big enough to jump my car, but Jen had bigger ones in hers. After successfully jumping my car, I had to leave it running when I went to get the kids and it died again once I got home. Well, I take into the dealership and everything gets fixed, but it was so expensive we had to spend our Disney vacation money to pay for it. Which sucks. But I need a vehicle to be able to get the kids from daycare. Then the check engine light comes on the next day I try to drive it. Yeah, ridiculous, right? Nothing was wrong with it, I guess they forgot to reset the computer or something. But I did have to take it back to the dealership to find this out. What an ordeal!

The new job has been going well and I am enjoying it. I really like using all my clinical knowledge more and actually being able to focus on some research.

We are getting ready for Halloween around here, my favorite non-religious holiday. Every day Beka comes up with a different character she wants to dress up as for trick or treating. One day its a princess, then a cowgirl, then a punk rocker, then a fashion model, then Foofa from Yo Gabba Gabba. We are probably going to make her choose something in the next week, so I'll keep you all posted. Any suggestions for my costume this year? We also don't know what we'll do with Raymond's costume, so any ideas there would be helpful. Speaking of Raymond, he is so close to walking I think he can taste it. Cruising all over the place.

We have a really fun weekend in store coming up. Dinner with friends, bowling, the circus, and a ton of other things. Can't wait, and maybe then I'll actually have something interesting to blog about.

The end of an era

So I have finished my time at Auburn University and have moved from academia to true clinical practice. My last few days as an Auburn employee went by very quickly. I had so much to finish up and transition to other people. If I am honest with myself (and you my faithful readers) I am sad to leave. I am going to miss the students most of all. While I'll still have some interaction with the students on their clinical rotations, I won't have the level of interaction with the underclassmen. I do feel like I have made an impact on the students and hopefully they learned something from me (even if it's how they don't want to be!), but I guess you'd have to ask them. I could be delusional about my teaching ability. I am going to miss my colleagues and friends there as well, but I learned a lot. Not only about academia, but about myself as a clinician and educator. Also, it's the only job I've ever had in my professional career (not counting moonlighting and residency).

While I am sad to leave, I am hopeful for my future career with my clinic. I think I'll be able to make more of an impact on patient care in psychiatry and on pharmacy practice in the state. I guess I am trading my influence/impact on the students for more of a global influence/impact. I know this is the right move for because I got into psychiatric pharmacy to help patients and do the clinical work, not to teach. Teaching was just something that I enjoyed (and thought I was fairly good at, but you'd have to ask my students about that one.) I'll still be doing the clinical education, which is what I truly enjoy. I am excited to start my "new" job and see how I can excel there.

In other news, as I mentioned in my last blog post, a fallen tree destroyed a section of our fence. This time a tree fell in the woods and I may not have heard it, but I saw the damage. Anyone know a good fence repair person in my area? In addition, our air conditioning is fixed, but not fully so they are coming back to fix that as well.

We went to the Auburn game last weekend and it was a great game. I was glad I was there to witness it. I wasn't glad I got sunburned. Apparently, sunscreen was really needed. But now I have a nice tan going on, albeit a ridiculous farmers tan. Jen and I got to go because the in-laws watched the kids for us. It was a nice trip and we're doing it again in a week for the FAU game. I gotta use these faculty tix while I can still get them!

An update about the kids: Beka is loving school and she has started there full time. She now goes to school all week and there doesn't seem to be any end to how much she can learn. I guess this is a good thing, right? She is also in dance which she absolutely loves. She goes to Little Gym dance which is a little bit of dance and a little bit of gymnastics. If she likes the dance portion (which she seems to) we'll probably enroll her in a real dance class. Raymond is also growing more every day. He is so close to walking I think he can taste it. At least that's what I tell myself when he is trying to eat the furniture, toys, and people. More than likely he is teething, but I like to think he is just itching to walk and using his mouth for balance. I know it makes no sense, but whatever. He is also in the Little Gym, but he hasn't caught on yet that he can go away from mommy and daddy to play. He is still adjusting to be able to crawl around and play with anything in sight. Maybe he is overwhelmed, but I don't think so. Raymond is also eating a lot more real food. Well, he's always eaten real food; it's not like we've been feeding him pretend food, but I guess I mean people food. Not baby food. He seems to really like sweets, which I guess is no different from his daddy.

Anyway, I guess that's enough for the updates for now. Hopefully I'll have some more for you soon. I'll end with a question I was asked in clinic by a colleague: how many refills do you want on this Vyvanse prescription? My answer: well, just for this month, we'll won't give him any, just so we're in compliance with the law....