MMMMM.... Fudge

It's not enough that Kraft Marshmallow Creme changed their packaging jars, they also had to go and change the recipe for Fantasy Fudge -- previously the best fudge I had ever had.

Fortunately, when I made it, I was not paying attention to all the instructions due to being super tired, so I didn't notice the difference until I put the chocolate chips in and then noticed the 12oz of semi-sweet chocolate chips was changed to chopped up blocks of semi-sweet chocolate. I couldn't remember the exact amount for the chocolate chips, but I was sure there were chips. I felt like I was taking crazy pills with the new change!

Nevertheless, I continued and added chocolate chips until the color and consistency of the old fudge that I knew and remembered. The recipe I ended up with was a morphed recipe of the old and new fudge recipes, and it turned out pretty well. Part of it has to do with I can't ever remember the temperature to heat things to having lived at so many elevations, but the 234 instead of 240 seemed to work quite well for Milwaukee.

I will continue to at least use the old recipe. Kraft, for shame, it shouldn't have been changed. And I did love the glass jars, they were perfect for storing other things.

Fun Patients Make My Day

On Friday, I had 2 scheduled cases before being on call. The second patient and his wife were very entertaining while I was waiting to go back to the OR with the patient. I had to give him Afrin and nebulized lidocaine treatments before going into the room, and he was just so funny about their descriptions.

He was compliant with taking the medications I asked him to take. Afrin, as he scrunched up his face with disgust, was "just like licking a monkey's foot!" He couldn't tell me how he knew what a monkey's foot tasted like. Then came the lidocaine nebulizer. He took huge breaths to get it over with fast, with a worse face than the Afrin. I was talking with his wife, and I was like, "What do you think this will taste like?" She said matter of factly, "We'll find out shortly, and I'll hear about it for the rest of my life." When he finished the treatment, we found out that lidocaine tastes like "licking a platypus' butt." If I hadn't given him versed, it would've tasted like "licking a rhino's leg." This was all made worse by the glycopyrrolate I had given earlier where I was then making him chew on a cotton ball.

Fortunately, he was very good with doing the treatments, but I'm sure he'll never forget me and the "wonderful" drugs I provided.

9/11/01

It's been almost 10 years. This must be what the JFK assassination was like for my parents. Now they have 2 events where they remember exactly where they were.

I remember exactly where I was. I was a junior in college at the University of Arizona . I was asleep in my dorm room in La Paz. It was dark. I had a later starting class -- a 6 unit German class. I had probably stayed up late the night before, and I was sleeping in as late as possible -- as per usual. When I am awakened from a deep sleep, I am always confused.

Shortly after 0700. The phone rang. My roommate and I ignored it. It must be a mistake, why was someone calling this early when both of us were asleep. A message wasn't left, but the phone rang again. I begrudgingly answered it to make it stop ringing. It was my mom. My mom was frantically calling from Hawai'i very early in the morning.
Mom: "Ashleigh, our government's under attack!"
Me: "Huh? Why is someone attacking Honolulu?" [I pictured a Pearl Harbor like attack on the State Capitol building in Honolulu.]
Mom: "Just turn on the TV!!!"
Me: "Why would Hawai'i be on the news?"
Mom: "Do it now!"

By this point my roommate is confused as to what's going on as I'm getting out of bed to turn on the 13" TV we had in the dorm and find a news station. We saw both towers. This is right after the 2nd tower was hit. We watched for a little bit then we turned off the TV and went back to bed for a few more hours. After we both woke up again for the second time, everything had transpired.

Should I have stayed up and watched TV? Probably. I had my mom asking me how I could've gone back to bed. But I did. I was a 20 year old college student -- basically carefree.

It was what was talked about. We were even allowed to have conversations about it in English during German class. I was relieved that O-chem lab wasn't canceled -- it would've been a hassle to try to make up. I also had the easiest O-chem test on 9/13. My professor blamed 9/11 for not being more creative with questions.

Living at the UofA campus, there was a strange silence after with the lack of planes flying to Davis-Monthan. It was even weirder when they started flying over campus again about 9/15 or so.

Little did I know that having traveled all over the world (getting back from Australia in August 2001) never worrying about plane travel that ever since my first trip on a plane after 9/11 in October 2001, I will always have a seed of thought about "what if..."

Wow, so my 6th winter in Wisconsin is nearly done, and I have 839 days left of residency.

I guess at some point I should start thinking of where I want to go.

The contenders:

Arizona -- Tucson v Phoenix
Tucson -- Wildcat country, neat city, Nico's Tacos, Eegee's
Phoenix -- Scottsdale is nice, Manuel's Mexican food
Pros for both: concealed carry, parents are there

Cons: Terribly allergic to the entire state which would require allergy shots
Phoenix -- Sun Devil Territory... my Arizona, Wildcat enthusiasm wouldn't be appreciated.

California -- Orange v San Diego
Like the suburbiness of Orange County, still have friends there, possible connections at St. Joe's, familiar with the area, still feels like home
San Diego -- great weather

Cons: The state is wasting all their money.

Hawai'i -- Maui
Perfect weather, 2nd home, friends, great food
Cons: island, expensive, liberal

Texas?
Maybe East TX? There's family there, Blue Bell ice cream. I've liked it every time I'm there.

Who knows where I'll end up as of right now.