The F*#$ing Four Dollar Friday

The state of affairs has finally come to this: I've paid over $100K for my medical education, but the $4 parking fee today put me just about over the top.

So I'm currently doing a rotation at a slightly away from Seattle site (names will be withheld to protect the innocent, but let it be said that I commute about 1h each way Qday) and was granted space in the parking garage there...my key to exit without pay on an Orange Post-It Note in the window of the parking attendant booth. Each exit I would explain to the attendant,

"Hey there, my name's Abby, I'm a medical student, and my name is on that Orange Post-It Note..." blah blah blah. They'd smile, nod, and let me free.

But yesterday, the parking attendant lady (let us call her the Parking Priss) had her hackles up, and confronted me on how it was that I got out free. She sputtered that there are medical students in the building all the time, and they don't get free parking; she demanded to know 'who called who' to arrange the Orange Post-It Note. I didn't know much about that. She told me,

"Well, I guess I'll let you out now but I'm going to follow up with this, because I don't think you should be parking here for free." And up goes her nose.

The next day (today) I overheard the head nurse at my clinic saying she got a message saying I couldn't park there anymore, which was fine with me...there's other parking around the building. The nurse was up in arms, however, because they have medical students all the time and there's never a problem.

At any rate, for today, there was the problem of getting out of the garage free. One. Last. Time.

Again, I approached the parking attendant booth, with my usual line,

"Hey there, my name's Abby, I'm a medical student, and my name is on that Orange Post-It Note..." blah blah blah.

This time there was a pubescent, nervous appearing male at the booth. It became immediately clear that the Parking Priss had put the Fear of God into him regarding gleaning my $4 parking fee. He began to stammer out that I wasn't to park in the garage for free anymore.

Me: "Okay, I'll park elsewhere from now on."
Prepubescent Boy: "That'll be four dollars."
Me: "uhhhmmm, since I just found out that I can't park here today, is it really fair that I pay the fee this time?"
Prepubescent Boy: "Do you have four dollars?"
Me: "No."
Prepubescent Boy: (stammer, stammer, stammer. Shifts feet here)
Me: "I think it's really unfair that although I've been parking here all week for free, and although today I didn't know I couldn't park here any longer, I still have to pay a fee."
Prepubescent Boy: "Um, do you have four dollars?"
Me: "Arg. Fine. Do you take credit cards?"

Indeed, he did. I scribbled out a signature on the receipt, and left. I ranted out my frustration in the hour long drive back to Seattle. Sheesh. At least I had some Hector Lavoe to help me groove out those rough moments!

And to top the bad karma of the day off, I'm bitter because I got all gussied up to go to the Prom at the Century Ballroom, and the party I planned to go with disintegrated! I didn't get to go re-live my Prom! Pout, pout, pout!

Imagine this, March 20th, 2008, on my hip...

Turns out I can't have a graphic design like this one, because the lines would blur as I age. So this will only be the general idea of the final tat. Appointment is at 9:30pm on March 20th!

Valentine's Day Redeemed

In the midst of this incredibly non-busy week (Addiction Medicine Week 2 = site visits x 1h/day), there lies a day like today...Valentine's Day. Not my favorite. :) Too commercialized to be taken seriously anymore, and besides that I'm disenchanted about the idea of "romance" as an adult woman.
REDEEMING QUALITIES of THIS VALENTINE'S DAY:
1)Amazing dinner party last night with new friends; fabulous food, wine, conversation and delicious homemade apple pie!
2)It's a bluebird day outside (in Seattle no less!) and I'm heading to Greenlake for a run.
3)Dinner plans tonight with a favorite friend.
4)Pre-concert drink plans with fellow dancers and dancers-to-be, sure to be FABULOUS, especially catching up.
5)The SPANISH HARLEM ORCHESTRA Concert is TONITE!!! And I can't wait to get out there and dance to their enticing rhythms!
6)Unknown excitement in the afterparty... :) :)

Frankie Martinez Performance - West Coast Salsa Congress

Oh my god, are you kidding me? I just have to put this up there...was introduced to this video by my incredible new salsa instructor, and I can't stop watching it...incredible technicality, musicality, sighhhh!!!! This is the standard which I will clumsily work towards in my last few months here in the Emerald City.

Weekend on Whidbey

After three months of the nomadic life a residency applicant lives, I've finally come to rest in Seattle (for two weeks)...finally finished with my rank list (thanks to a lovely, quiet, peaceful weekend on Whidbey Island), finally feeling myself catch a stride as I head into these last few months of rotations before the end of medical school. In my singlehood, I'm living with depth and..., actually, happiness! (huzzah!) I relish my ability to do whatever my fickle heart desires with my free time; and feel eternally grateful for my freedom to make life choices however I wish.

I was requested to update my blog more often. I'll work on that.

Random lovely moment of the day...The CampFire Girls are sending their candy already! I walked out of the grocery store to hear the phrase I used to let roll off my tongue a gazillion times during this season..."Wouldja liketa buy some CampFire Candy?" I walked over and bought some $5 (!@!@!@!!) Mints, and remembered how badly I wanted to sell that dang candy...all just to go to Camp Sweyolakan on Lake Coeur d'Alene. I encouraged the girls to keep up the hard work...told 'em that I had gone through high school and finished my WoHeLo. Hellz yeah! If only those residency programs knew that about me...then they'd be all over my application... ha ha!! :)