Waiting is hard

Joey the king, Home

It is 5:30 pm and I'm still at work! If I could paint a picture of my brain, it would look like a dried prune. I'm ready to go home... but here I am being the workaholic that I am.  Writing out my letter of recommendation for my boss to send to schools.

I'm ready to go to school now.. I'm so ready to be done. Oh dear, I said it.

I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. - Matthews 17:20

You so joe

University City Station, Philadelphia

I'm sitting here in the kitchen munching on Nilla wafers which really makes me crave banana pudding. Today was a busy day at work - being pulled in all different directions. I feel like an elastiband sometimes. At the same time, I'm very grateful because I've been put in charge of two first-author publications and my coworkers and I have a blast busting on Kenny G music, learning new slang phrases (which is what the title is) and debating whether Tyler Perry is gay.

I'm also very much looking forward to a 3-day weekend starting to write a book with my coworker, cafe hopping with friends and getting some spa therapy with my sister. Mr. King you're the bomb dot com.

Wow I killed that box of Nillas... *stares down at bump in stomach*

Eyes wide open

Skyline view of Manhattan with traveling plane (the blue dots), Jersey City

Found out my boss is pregnant today! I can't believe I didn't notice the bump but scrubs certainly do a good job of covering that. I've decided this will be my go-to outfit once I have kids. I've also decided I will carry a box of chocolates with me at all times. Stress-o-meter at work has been off the charts lately especially now that I have a deadline! Even so, I decided not to bring work home. It's a habit from college and the workaholic mentality but it's important to be at your best at work and be at your best at home. I'm (very slowly) learning the value of that.

I got a good chunk of reading done on the train today.  Currently: Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man. I'm only on chapter 3 but this motif of blindness is prevalent. People certainly choose to be blind to things and the reason why classics become classics is because it still resonates with people today. Blindness is often thought of something that is afflicted on someone but it is also something we choose. It is most dangerous when someone is lured under facades of human kindness and smiles. We choose to see the good and leave the ugly parts out. I hope you know what I'm talking about, if you don't, you probably just think I'm neurotically psycho. Discernment is necessary and that I am still learning but as we go through life, we must discern!

The NICU diaries

So I spent most of the day in the NICU today finding ways to reduce distractions so nurses make less errors. While desperately trying to stay awake that early in the morning, sipping my coffee and speaking with the nurses, I found out an interesting fact: Pertussis (also known as "whooping cough") has been on the rise especially in neonates this past year. I watched as nurses rushed in and out of a pertussis patient's room as his stats dropped and the patient was bagged to keep him breathing. Mind you, this was also the same room where the past two perfectly healthy full-term babies had died from whooping cough. The mom was emotional during rounds. Doctors admitted options were running out. It was all a bit heartbreaking to watch.

You'd think pertussis vaccinations in the 1940's would have nearly eliminated this disease but unfortuantely, it seems like it's still lurking around. Of course the highest incidents occur in infants less than 6 months but kids over 7 are also contracting this contagious disease as their vaccine wears off. All this made me think of how much we still need to understand in medicine. So with that said, I am thankful for this job because I've gotten so many opportunities and experiences that sure beats learning from a textbook.         

The dream team: introducing.... Batman, the Incredible Hulk, Aquaman, Captain America, Bumblebee and some other grey robot, My coworker and I collect action figures at our cubicles. We are very serious about it.

A Pouty Heart

My elementary school solar system diagram magnified, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Make sure you have people in your life that make you appreciate what you have in life, instead of making you envious of what you don't have. Lately my ungrateful heart has been quite pouty. I'm seeing what I don't have instead of all that I've been given. It is a combination of pride and envy and boy is it ugly. And God don't like ugly (this is actually a bestselling book according to my coworker). It's this funk that I'm in and with the new year, this is not where I wanted to be. Hence this week I plan to post the things that I am thankful for - one-by-one. If I don't, I might transform into a cold-hearted robot. Beep. Beep. Boop.