Texas forever

That's right, we're going home!

Source: fuckyeahtx.tumblr.com via Emily on Pinterest

6 hellacious months of agonizing over interviews (or lack thereof) is over. The great irony of all this is that Mr. Snoop matched at his #1 spot. We feel so grateful and blessed. Particularly since well over 100 people applying to Mr. Snoop's specialty did not match into it this year. We take nothing for granted.

The good news has not yet sunk in, though I think it's getting there. Especially because it is snowing/raining/sleeting/nasty-ing here and I don't even care. So yes, it must be sinking in somewhat :)

Now let the great house-hunt begin!

Matched!!

We got the fantastic news on Monday that Mr. Snoop matched into an ENT residency. We are so thrilled and feel so fortunate, but I have to say that the reality has not sunk in yet! We've been waiting for this news for four years. Since he had a small number of interviews, we have been intensively and stressfully waiting for six months. After all that waiting, it is so hard to switch my brain over to actually believing he matched!

Trying to stay occupied until Monday was a good time. Fortunately my Mama Cat was in town and I work Sundays, so I was busy the day before Match/Unmatch. This past Saturday, I decided to occupy my time by making.. wait for it.. Lilly Pulitzer bowties for my cats. I know you are judging me but I just don't care. Look how adorable:



He looks ready to drink a hotty toddy at the grove, don't you think? So preppy. Of course I do have a top in the same pattern. As if you even had to ask.

Since I never was able to think past Monday, I have found myself in an unexpected predicament: finding ways to distract myself until we get the big news about WHERE on Friday. Last night I threw a temper tantrum about how cold our house was, how I much I hate winter, and then had a panic attack about the possibility of Mr. Snoop matching in Wisconsin. Mr. Snoop, ever the expert in the field of taming me, lit a fire in the fireplace and cut up the chicken for dinner. Bless his heart.

After I got my behavior under control, I accomplished the original task I had planned for myself: baking a million cookies for our friends to celebrate Match Week. Any excuse to use adorable labels and treat boxes, right?



Tonight I have a girls' shopping outing, but I am still searching for a project for Thursday night. Also, I can't get my pictures to center. Sorry about that. Til Friday, chikadees!

What It's Really Like

So after our DC trip, Mr. Snoop and I went down to Texas for more interviews and to visit family and friends. I think we managed to squeeze in seeing as many of our family and friends as humanly possible in one trip. I came back up to New York (that work thing) and Mr. Snoop kept on truckin with the interviews.

While I was in DC I talked to all of my friends about the interview/match process. They have been so supportive and wonderful. One friend (hi Johanna!) remarked--correctly--that reading here made it seem like I am not so stressed. While I try to focus on the positive, I'm going to lay it all out there. I have to be a bit vague on specifics until we find out our answer to whether and where Mr. Snoop matched in March. But I'll be as direct as a can be:

This process has been hell.

Even though Mr. Snoop is a competitive candidate, trying to match in a top three specialty is really stressful and really difficult. How stressful, you ask? Well, this story should give you a picture. At one point, Mr. Snoop received an interview offer from a program located in a place where we would typically never, ever choose to live. Like ever. And I started sobbing hysterically. Not because I didn't want to live there (and I don't), but because I was so incredibly relieved that he had gotten an interview offer. Even though it was at what we consider the ends of the earth. Those of you who know me know that I am not really that much of a cryer. Things have improved from that point, but it should give you an idea about what this has been like.

Mr. Snoop and I have been so fortunate to have people praying for us. At the risk of sounding totally cheesy, we can feel the prayers and have no doubt that they are working. The upside to all this is that I am learning really good lessons. First and foremost on control: Who is really in control of our little lives, and how much control we actually have. After doing everything possible to put himself in the best position to match, Mr. Snoop's situation is still up in the air and scary. The control thing is one of God's lifelong lessons for me. I get to learn that one again and again and again.

The seond big lesson is on friendship. Spending time in DC and Texas with people we love, care about, and have a great time with gave us a clear idea of what types of people we want in our lives--who we are compatible with in terms of friendship, values, and outlook on life. Our current predicament is interesting in what it reveals about other people. As an introvert (yes, it's true!), I'm constantly observing the behavior of others. What our situation brings out in people, for good or for bad, is beyond telling.

I'm trying to be grateful for these lessons, knowing that they are God's way of humbling me and refining my character. So now I am learning the virtue of patience. Just about a month and a half until we find out if and where Mr. Snoop matched. We have a backup plan. And a backup plan to our backup plan. Plus a backup plan to the backup plan's backup plan. These next four months are going to be so full, regardless of The Match. My goal is to soak them up and enjoy. And as for The Match, this is a pic I took on a run on the interview trail.... here's to hoping!

Trip to DC

Well hello friendlies.

Mr. Snoop and I are back from our epic adventures. He was gone from NY for two weeks, can you believe it? The first stop on our journey (excluding his real first stop for an interview in the midwest) was to D.C. And it was the very best time. There was much brunching and hanging out with girlfriends and karaoke-ing and lounging and hanging out with brother and coffee drinking and celebrating of birthdays. Absolutely divine.

Have we discussed how lucky I am to have such marvelous college girlfriends? Because it is true. Not only are these KD ladies the prettiest, but they are also the smartest, the kindest, the funniest, and the best-hearted girls around. I just adore you gals.

Onward! To pictures! As you can see, there was much (inadvertent) matching of outfits. At some points over the weekend, the following people matched: Jenny + Dave, Mr. Snoop + Tom, and Mr. Snoop + Chris. And probably others, too.

Additional observations from Our Nation's Capital:

- I like D.C.

- The D.C. metro is much better labeled and more civilized than the NY trains.

- Georgetown is a great area in which to run.

- It is a terrible idea to go up the exorcist stairs (see pic) 3.5 miles into a run. I thought I was going to die.

- Pho is delicious.

- My friends think my brother is attractive. This makes me simultaneously proud and slightly nauseous.

- Did I mention I heart my girlfriends?

Next Up... on to Texas!

The Weekend Of All Interviews

That's what Mr. Snoop has coming up: The Weekend of All Interviews. That is to say, 4 interviews in 5 days. ALL across the country. I'm talking Wisconsin, D.C., Texas. The grand adventure begins Friday and ends Wednesday. Now I know that for most 4th year med students, this is totally normal. But since Mr. Snoop is applying in ENT, these interviews constitute the vast majority of the ones he has. Fingers crossed oh so super tight!

And for those of you unfamiliar with this delightful process, no, ENT programs do not pay your travel expenses.

Fortunately, I get to tag along to D.C. and Texas (skipping Wisconsin, did you even need to ask? Brrrr....) to iron Mr. Snoop's shirts and find a place that will dry clean his suit in one day spend time with my most wonderful of lovely girlfriends in those places. Plus celebrate their birthdays! I'm actually getting to see pretty much all of the girls on this trip, which I am SO looking forward to. My college girls and Texas girls are just the very best.

Plus I get to see my brother, aunt, uncle, parents, sister-in-law, nephew, and brand new baby niece. And maybe even some cousins. Did I mention I'd be leaving Friday and coming back Wednesday morning? Yeah. 3 cities. In 4 days. Not really sure how I'm going to pack, which leads me to the other reason I'm so excited to go on this trip...

Temperatures.

Above.

60 Degrees.

I'm going to go for a run! Outside! And not lose feeling in my toes and nose! Yaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy!!!!!

In quasi-related news, I discovered trulia. Oh my dangerous. WAY too soon to be looking at real estate, but what a fun site, right?

Thanksgiving 2012

Hey y'all. So we went to Texas for Thanksgiving. And it was a wonderful, much-needed break. Frankly, Mr. Snoop's residency application process has been sort of hellacious. And being the supportive cheerleader wife has completely wiped me out. Being back home was really nice. As much as I love my med school friends, it was great for Mr. Snoop and I to hang out with my Austin friends, none of whom are in the medical field. Nice to escape the "everything revolves around med school" world for a week. The trip was a breath of fresh air, literally and figuratively.

We spent lots of time outside. After living in such a cold climate for 4 years, I've come to realize how good being outside is for the soul. Cheesy but true. My friends have a tradition of playing football the day after Thanksgiving. And before that, Mr. Snoop, Chris (my brother), and I did the Austin Trukey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. It was a nice, easy 5 mile run. Next year I'm going to get my act together and make us costumes. Here we are afterward:

We also went to the Texas / TCU game. Which was really quiet and we lost. Not unexepectedly, I'm afraid. Here we are with horns up, nonetheless. Chris pointed out that because of the shadows we all look like demon children from the mouth of hell in this picture. That and I really need a tan. See above about the outdoors being good for the soul.

Hey, at least our band is freakin awesome:

I'm back in New York but Mr. Snoop is still in Texas having the greatest time going hunting with the dudes in my family. He has an interview this weekend, which was originally Nov. 1, but there was this little weather event known as Sandy, so his flight got canceled. So in conclusion: I'm retiring my pom-poms for a little bit and allowing myself to be completely freaked out by this whole residency application process. Thanks for hangin' in there with us, in advance.

He's Back!

Mr. Snoop, reunited with Shammy Boy. Shammy Boy is not loving the improvised cat-bjorn, but I promise you that he has been floating around the house on a cloud of happiness since the return of his favorite person.

That's right! Mr. Snoop is back! For good! Where did he go? He spent over two months in the great state of Texas. Late July and August were spent in an away rotation at a program he loved and September was a research month at a big cancer center in Houston. We are so grateful to my aunt and uncle plus my cousin and his wife for hosting Mr. Snoop these past two months. I know it made his time away from home much easier and lots of fun. Not to mention cat-filled.

In July, right before these past two months in Texas, Mr. Snoop was doing a rotation in the city. Which meant he was leaving before 5am and coming back at around 9pm. This month, he is on a well-deserved more relaxed rotation. So I actually get to see him for the first time in like three months. Which is marvelous.

What's next? His application for residency is turned in, so in about a month and a half he will begin to hear about interviews, hopefully! We also have lots of October-type fun plans this month, since there is a chance this could be our last New York fall.

PS: He came back to New York with cowboy boots. Can we now say that the Texan transformation is complete?

Applying to Residency 101: Basically it's Rush

So I decided to do a post on the process of Mr. Snoop in applying for residencies.  Since this ole blog here is for family and friends, you might want to know what is ahead of him/us.  If you don't care, I get it.  Don't read.  Because I literally had a read a book to figure out the hot mess that is the residency application process (no really, I did), I thought I'd break it down for y'all.  After my exhaustive research, I've come to the conclusion that all you need to know is that matching into a residency program is just like Rush, er, Recruitment, for fraternities and sororities.  

The Timeline:

1. Medical School: 4 years long

2. Medical Residency: 3 - 7 years long.  For Mr. Snoop it will be 5 years.  This is where you train in your specialty.

3. Fellowship: Optional additional, specialized training.  1 - 3 years long.

4. Medical training is finally over!

Since Mr. Snoop is in his 4th year of medical school, he is in the process of applying to residency.  He would like match in ENT; aka Ear, Nose and Throat; aka Otolaryngology.  Matching is the term for, you guessed it, matching up a student with a residency.  My overview will be specialty-specific.  Other specialties would be slightly different.

Let the Great Analogy of Residency Application Process as Rush begin!

Oh yes.  Yes, I did.

1--Applications
The first step in applying for residency is like the first Rush party.  The students turn in their applications.  They can apply to as many programs as they want.  Everyone's invited!  Including all the weirdos!  Mr. Snoop is applying to 55 programs.  This is because his specialty is super competitive: each of the >100 programs in the US only has 2 or 3 spots, on average.  In other specialties, hundreds of programs might have 15 or more spots.  Hence the reason he has to apply so broadly.  Applications are in a common ap format online, and he will turn them in this Friday.  Yep, he's a rushee!

2--Interviews
The second step, the interview, is like the second or third Rush party.  Programs make cuts: not all rushees are invited back.  Residency programs invite a number of students back for an in-person interview.  For Mr. Snoop's specialty of choice, interviews take place in December and January.  For other specialties, the lucky ducks, this happens sooner.  Out of the 55 programs to which Mr. Snoop has applied, he would be over the moon if he got 10 interviews.  Yes, yikes, it's crazy out there.

3--Rank List
The third step happens in late February, when the med students, you guessed it, rank their top 15 programs.  They can only rank the programs where they have interviewed, in the same way that for Rush you can only rank the houses that have invited you back.  Meanwhile, residency programs rank their candidates (and the houses rank the rushees).  Like in Rush, a computer algorithm matches the candidates and the programs. 

If only Match Week involved matching (haha!) outfits.

4--Match Week
Match Week is the second week of March.  On that Monday, students learn IF they have matched.  So on March 11, 2013, Mr. Snoop will learn if he matched in his specialty.  Students who fail to match take the next 3 days to "scramble," which is exactly what it sounds like: they scramble to fill any random open residency position in any specialty.  This is very scary to me.  Then on Friday, March 15, the students gather at their med schools and receive an envelope.  This tells them to which program they will go for their residency.  Just as in Rush, you must go to the place where you have matched.  Unfortunately, there is no Pref Night and no mad run for the sorority houses in Match Week.  I know, what's even the point?

5--Graduate And Begin Residency
Mr. Snoop graduates in late May.  Residencies begin anywhere from June 1 - July 1, depending on the program.   

Did you make it?  Phew, I know.  And even though y'all know Mr. Snoop's real name, now you have probably figured out why I keep him anonymous on here. 

As far as where specifically Mr. Snoop is applying, the best I can tell you is to sing the "50 Nifty United States."  While of course there are certain areas where we would both prefer to go, the fact of the matter is his speciality is so competitive that we will be thrilled for him to match anywhere!

Amniotic fluid on his shoes

This past weekend, Mr. Snoop had his first 27 hour shift in Labor and Delivery.  He started at 6am on Saturday morning and finished up Sunday morning.  Since it was the day after 11/11/11, I figured lots of women would have been trying to get their labor started for an 11/11/11 baby and would overflow on to 11/12.  Plus it was also a full moon, and he was there overnight.  So you'd think, lots of deliveries, right? 

Nada.

Mr. Snoop was most upset.  And tired.  I came home after work Sunday morning to this:

Yes, he was wearing my eye mask.  And yes, Woo was keeping him company.  Yes, Woo is a small bear, not a cat.

So Mr. Snoop had an overnight last night (6pm  - 6am).  He was really hoping for some delivery action.  When he came in at 6:30am, I asked him how it went.  All he said was "I got amniotic fluid all over my shoes.  I'll tell you about it later."  He's still slumbering, so I'll let y'all know what went down once I find out.

With all the talk of amniotic fluid, I'll leave you with a wondrous picture of Shammy Boy that I took over the weekend.  You might want to shield your eyes from the glory.  The butt and tail fluff on that guy is outrageous.
 

Next time we do Moses, I am totally telling the kids that this is what the Pillar of Cloud looked like.  Without the pink nose.