Book Club

The second installment in my Book Club series is this quick read by Ann Patchett, State of Wonder.  Years ago I read her book, Bel Canto and fell in love!  She writes these interesting stories, in exotic settings, with great characters, and it all comes together to make a very memorable read.

This one was no different.  While I was in New York, I need a book to read on the subway, so I hopped on over to Greenlight Books, this adorable, independent bookstore in Ft. Greene, Brooklyn.  This one was featured as a "new in paperback" and I didn't hesitate to pick it up.

I read it in a matter of a week on my train trips, and just devoured it!  It's the story of a pharmaceutical researcher who is dispatched to go to South America to follow-up the recent death of a colleague there.  The research that is being done in South America is on a native community who maintains fertility into their 60s and 70s (so suspend disbelief for a moment).  The drug company would, of course, like to figure out how to synthesize this ability and sell it to 40-something women at top dollar.  But of course ethical dilemmas, and personal development ensue, and maybe, just maybe the colleague isn't dead...

I highly recommend it!

Next up....Anna Karenina, so it might be a few months!

Albuquerque

Well, so it begins.... The "interview trail" as 4th year medical students call it.  The time of year when we pick up after work one day, travel to a new city, and are back to work the day after!  All in the name of "matching" into a residency!

The Sandia Mountains from the hospital conference room

So it was in this fashion that I traveled to New Mexico the other day.  Sunday morning I flew to Albuquerque, drove around, got the lay of the land, went to dinner with current residents, slept in a weird hotel, toured the hospital and interviewed with attending physicians, drove to Santa Fe, had dinner, drove back to ABQ, and hopped back on a plane to Charlotte!  Phew... needless to say I was exhausted!

The plaza in Santa Fe

But I'm glad to say that I got to check another state off my list.  And I really loved the program at the University of New Mexico!  The people were very nice.  There's a lot of focus on academics and educations and they take care of lots of sick kids from around the southwest US and lots of those have really rare and weird diseases.  BUT it was freezing and so, so dry that my skin was cracking and my nose was bleeding by the time I left.  So if I end up matching there, please send gallons of lotion and a humidifier!!

Santa Fe

Central Park

I'm back in Charlotte on a radiology rotation, but still have lots of photos from NYC to share.  A few days before I left I stayed with a very wonderful friend on the Upper West Side.  My schedule was such that I never even saw her while I was there (working 3pm-11pm with at least an hour commute).  But I was able to use that morning time for some exploration.  I needed to go for a run, so I took that opportunity to run through Central Park.  It was a disjointed run to say the least, because I kept stopping to take pictures!  It was a gloomy, fall day but the weather was perfect for a run.  I'm always so surprised by how in the middle of the city you can feel like you're in the woods in Central Park.  But then you look up and there are amazing tall buildings and historic picturesque shots!

Book Club

If you know me at all, you know that I always have a book in progress.  I like to read before I go to bed at night, and my wishlist of books is so long that I have to keep up or else I'll never read these amazing books before it's too late.  So while I was in NYC I had lots of time to read on the train to and from work.  I started with Deborah Harkness's bestseller Discovery of Witches.

It is honestly one of the best books I have read in a long time.  I likened it to Harry Potter meets Twilight meets the Da Vinci Code.  And it's the first in a trilogy which is wonderful because it means you don't have to be sad when you finish it because more is on its way!  (The second book, Shadow of Night is out in hardcover, but the release date for the third is TBD).

I read it so quickly, partially because I had so much time on the train, but partially because I was tearing through it!  Couldn't put it down.  I even had one of those awkward moments when I was at my stop, but wasn't ready to stop reading so I continued to read as I walked up the stairs and out of the subway and almost into people...

It's the story of Diana Bishop, a professor of history and scholar of alchemy at Yale, and the descendant of generations of witches.  She has always shunned her powers, but upon stumbling upon an ancient book of witchcraft she is brought into the world she has always avoided.  She is met by the attractive and intriguing 1500-year-old vampire, Matthew Clairmont, and of course madness ensues.  It is fast paced, and so captivating.  I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a good romance and some magic!

I really wanted to be caught reading by this blog while in NYC.  http://undergroundnewyorkpubliclibrary.com/ But no such luck... Check it out!

My next book is Ann Patchett's State of Wonder...stay tuned

In the nick of time...

Well, I'm back in Charlotte, and apparently I got out of NYC just in the nick of time.  I left at around 6pm on Saturday and the subways closed at 7pm on Sunday.  And then apparently all hell broke loose along the entire Eastern seaboard!!  I could not feel more blessed to have gotten out without any delays, and I seriously hope that NYC and NJ recover soon.

The pictures online are absolutely amazing.  From the blackouts to the flooding, I can't believe this is the same city I was just adventuring around a few days ago!

Blackout in lower Manhattan

Check out this website for a before-and-after .gif

http://gothamist.com/2012/10/30/compare_lower_manhattan_before_and.php

Empty Grand Central Station

http://gothamist.com/2012/10/28/photos_grand_central_terminal_gets.php#photo-5

MTA/Aaron Donovan

The Red Hook neighborhood, which is where I stayed last month

http://gothamist.com/2012/10/30/photos_stormtroopers_flooding_and_m.php#photo-6

flickr

This picture of the flooding at the ground zero/Freedom Tower dig site is amazing, because it shows the sheer power of that volume of water.  I remember this statistic from a disaster preparedness course that we took during med school - it only takes a foot of water to displace the weight of a 4-door car, sweeping it with the current.

http://weather.aol.com/2012/10/30/at-least-80-flooded-houses-destroyed-by-nyc-fire/

But alas, leave it to Diane Sawyer to leave us with a ray of hope; that after the storm the sun really does shine!

instagram - DianeSawyer

Perfect Fall Weekend!

The weather in New York this weekend was nearly perfect this weekend!  So I took full advantage of my time off and ended up having a nearly perfect time!

SATURDAY
- A foggy run through Brooklyn Bridge Park

- Yoga class
- Awesome iced latte and pain aux raisins from Bien Cuit on Smith St.
- Lunch at Candle Cafe on the Upper East Side - the most disgusting green juice and the most delicious BBQ Tempeh and sweet potato sandwich (the second time this week I've had sweet potato on a sandwich)

- An overwhelming trip through the Met

- A quick walk through Central Park

- A homecooked dinner of pasta with vegetables and goat cheese and catching up on lots of TV!

SUNDAY
- Run through Brooklyn Bridge Park
- A walk across the Brooklyn Bridge (a total of 8 miles...so tired....)

- Saw newlywed Amber Tamblyn walking her dog!

So all in all, nearly perfect!  Now it's time for a nap...

Mmmm...Pizza....

So after shopping at Eataly, I was sufficiently overwhelmed and decided to get lunch elsewhere.  There is an amazing food truck park (an area where food trucks/stands congregate at lunchtime) at Madison Square called Madison Square Eats.  There are tons of big name carts there like Momofuku Milk Bar, Wafels and Dinges, and even a place called Arancini Bros, which just might be my idea of heaven.

But the place I most wanted to try, especially after having spent so much time in Eataly, was Roberta's Pizza.  Amazing wood-fired pizza - they actually travel around the city with the oven.

Perfect crispy crust.  Great cheese and sauce, and lots of basil and red pepper.  Just perfect!

And all with a view of the Flatiron building in the background...

 What would happen if I ate pizza every day?  Maybe it's like an apple a day?