Washington DC

Greetings and Salutations from our Nation's Capital.

I am here at the Student Osteopathic Medical Association's (SOMA) spring conference. I arrived on Tuesday, I got to spend a few hours knitting in the car. I worked on the Union Square poncho, it's pretty brainless knitting. Just prior to leaving for DC I finished the sporty numbers vest. There are a couple problems with it (I need to bring it to the store for help). It fits in the front but there is just too much fabric in the back. I am really at a loss for how to fix it. I don't know anything about taking it apart once it's together or anything like that. It just doesn't fit they way I'd like it to. So we shall see what I end up doing with it.

Wednesday was my birthday (happy 25th to me). I spent the day at the Zoo. I took a million pictures of the panda bears. They are just so darn cute. I can upload some of the pictures if people want to see them. Again I really bad about bringing the cord for my camera places with me, so you have to wait on pictures. I then spent the rest of the afternoon painting pottery, yes I know it's not yarn but we don't have a pottery place near Blacksburg/Christiansburg. I did knit a little bit on the metro. I felt very cool, even if my stop was only 5 minutes from where I got on, minor details.

Thursday was DO Day on the Hill. Osteopathic medical students and DO from across the country come together and lobby the state representatives and senators on the important medical issues of the year. This year our main objectives are medicare payment for physicians, the SCHIP Act which insures children that don't qualify for medicaid, and the resident physician shortage Act. Did you know that physicians medicare reimbursement is not altered for inflation. Many doctors are refusing to take medicare patients or limit the number they see in their practices. If you know anyone who is a medicare patient this greatly limits their access to good quality medical care. But physicians can't afford to pay their staff if their entire practice is medicare patients. The physician shortage act is dealing with residencies programs. In 1997 Congress said the number of residencies programs we have right now is all that we will fund. The country is very aware that there will be a physician shortage the problem is now we have increased the number of medical students but we have not increases the post graduate programs. Ultimately this also goes back to medicare payments because that is ultimately what limits hospitals on the number of residents they take. But basically I talked about that all day. I did get to actually meet Dr. Dave Weldon who is my Florida representative, so that was cool. I had some free time between my meetings and spent a few hours at the National Museum of Art. And of course I knitted in front of the senate building. Really you think I can go anywhere without my knitting... hahah.. no.

The SOMA conference has been uneventful so far. We spent yesterday afternoon exploring Gerogretown. I found a yarn store because really I need more yarn. I went to DC Stitch. They have three stores, it wasn't quite as big as Mosaic and they had some yarns that I never heard of. I had to buy some yarn, sorry Gina. I still love you more don't worry. I tried to buy stuff that I couldn't get at Mosaic, because well that would just be dumb. I got a ball of Be Sweet Ribbon yarn. It's made in South Africa by women in a job creation program. It's pinky/peach mohair with ribbon randomly tied throughout it. I am not really sure what I'll do with it, but it's pretty and I like it. I also bought a cone of the stainless steel wool. Again not sure what I am doing with it, but who can pass up something so bizarre. I got two skeins of Blue Sky Alpaca, one in Black and one in orange to make Hokie Healing squares. I also talked to the manager of the store and gave her the info about the Hokie Healing project. She'd heard about it but didn't have the details. Gina she also knew about Mosaic, just thought you should know.

Tonight we have our banquet dinner at the Watergate Hotel. Then we will be out and about around town. I love how our conferences are planned around social events and then our work. It's a nice change from the usual pace. Well that's my very long update for now. I promise pictures when I get back home.

Virginia Tech

This whole week has been very surreal. It's one of those times that you'll always remember what you were doing when you heard the news. On 9-11 I was in Genetics class with Dr. Morvillo I had just come from my 8 o'clock class and I hadn't seen any of the news. April 16th 2007 will also be one of those days. Monday morning I was in the OR watching Dr. Harris, Dr. Deal and Sarah do a colon resection on a very nice lady who is mostly going to die from stage 4 colon cancer. Dr. Perona came into the OR and announced there had been a shooting at Tech. At first it was a shooting in a dorm building. She came back in a second time to tell us there was another shooting on campus.

After my OR time and came back and watched the news for a few minutes before I needed to sleep in preparation for my ER shift. I watched and the number kept increasing. At least 20 dead, then 22, it just kept rising. I would have watched all afternoon if I hadn't had to go into the ER that night. My phone wouldn't stop ringing. All my friend from Florida who don't really understand what rotations are and don't fully understand that the medical school really isn't at Tech called. I got messages... Allison your school's on TV, please call me back and let me know you are ok. Message after message. I answered I am safe. I am not sure if we will be OK from this or not. I hope some day we are, but I won't guarantee that.

We watched the news all night in the ER (remind you this is now 2 am or so). The story kept changing the shooter was still unidentified and was not a student, then about 5 am he was a student. He was a student that lived in West AJ... just kidding, he didn't live there either. It seemed like every five minutes there was a different story. We continued to watch. They interviewed the doctors that worked in the ER at MRH. Dr. Joe was on CNN. Now this is not the local Roanoke news, this is CNN and this is Dr. Joe. The same Dr. Joe who's house I've been to, who's kids I've hung out with and the same man I've been to Africa and back with twice. This is the man that interviewed me during my medical school interviews. And now here he was talking to CNN about this tragedy. By the time I got off work and home it was almost 9 am. Just about the time for the mornings press conference. They announced the identity of the shooter. I spent the rest of the day napping on the couch and watching the news. I watched the convocation. I got upset at the camera men who focused on the father who was overcome with grief in the middle of the service and had to leave. Showing it is one thing, focusing on it for entirely too long is just wrong. The man lost his child, something that I can only imagine is the worst feeling in the world. The family deserves respect. Dr. Giovanni's poem was just amazing. I don't think words can properly describe how inspirational she was.

When Gerri got home from work we decided to head up to Blacksburg and meet up with some of the other medical students so we could attend the candlelight vigil.

I am a Hokie. Although the main campus really isn't something we are very familiar with. It is a part of our school. It's like our big sister, close to us when we need it but also a little unknown and mysterious. It was really great to see the community come together like that. The hokie spirit is definitely alive. It might be bruised and hurting for the time, but it's not dead. We stood there with our candles surrounded by Hokies. We were all there because we love Virginia Tech, to remember those that were lost, and to support those that will deal with the aftermath.

I am sorry that this is what Virginia Tech will go down in history for. Even if some great discovery were to come from the Engineering department, Math department or medical school they will always bring up April 16th 2007. I just hope we do not let this event define who we are. We will endure and hopefully overcome it. We are Hokies.

I pray for the families affected. I pray for the students who are recovering. I pray for the friends that are mourning. I pray for the EMS, Police and Firefighters that came to the rescue. I pray for the Virginia Tech community that not only is in Blacksburg but extends across the state and throughout the country.

No matter your Alma mater or school loyalty today we are all hokies. We are the Hokies...we will prevail. We ARE Virginia Tech.

Meet the FSU Uterus

As promised here are pictures of the FSU uterus' trip to the ER. This is one reason why I should never be bored in the ER... ah but it was highly amusing to me at 4 am.

Sometime this week it will be mailed to Stephanie and hopefully it will have a nice life in Florida.

Now it is time to read about surgery before bedtime because I am visiting the OR tomorrow (yay!!).

Saturday night

I just opened a bottle of Williamsburg Winery's Two Shilling Red wine. I am spending the night drinking wine, knitting, watching movies, and doing laundry. Life is just great (minus the laundry)!!

Just a little side note on
Williamsburg Winery in case you've never heard of them. They make some great wines that are decently priced. You can get most of there selection from Kroger. I think last time I was at Kroger the Governor's White was about 7 dollars. I enjoy their Plantation Blush, Governor's White, and Two Shiling Red, just in case anyone wanted a recommendation. I remember the late Vidal Harvest was also tasty. I am a big fan of Virginia Wineries and wine festivals. It's right up there with my love for yarn.

I spent Friday knitting with Mimi at Mosaic. I finished the front half of my sweater, I am working on the back side of the sweater now. I knitted the FSU uterus the other night, I finished it up at the ER. Yes I knit at the hospital even in the ER when I am not busy. I took a couple pictures of it but I forgot to bring my camera cord to Christiansburg with me, so I'll have to upload the pictures later. They are highly amusing.

I might go knit at Mosaic tomorrow depending on how much laundry I get done tonight. I should get a bunch of knitting done next weekend. I am walking in the VT's Relay for Life, so I'll be up for most of the night. I wonder if I can knit and walk at the same time, or if I'll fall over and die. hahaha.

Ok back to knitting, wine, and laundry.

Yarn Ideas

So because I am working in Max Meadows this month on my lunch break I sometimes have time to stop by Fiber 4 Ewe. I picked up the multi colored hank of yarn seen above. It's yarn from a local spinner (Alana Anderson--The Maidservants Treasures). I have a picture of the sheep it came from.. it's pretty cool. I looked at this yarn the last time I was there but decided on the two seafoam ones (one seen above). Now the problem is I have this yarn and and no clue what to do with it. I want to use all three skeins together, but I am just not sure what. The teal color in the multi skein matches the two seafoam skeins. I have 210 yards of the seafoam color and 44 yards of the multi. The multi colored skein appears to be a heavier weight, but I don't think it's far off (it's a different breed of sheep from the other two). So my knitting geniuses... what should I make??? Not like I have time to knit more projects, but I couldn't resist handspun yarn that I know I can't get anywhere else. Don't worry Gina.. I still love Mosaic more.

I really went to buy stitch holders because I'll be needing them for my sweater, and I'd rather buy them from a local store than Wal-mart. ehhh.. the Wal-mart yarn section makes me ill.