Not as anticipated

This month was intended to convince me that I didn't want to go into emergency medicine. Unfortunately I'm having a great time so far. Maybe it's just that I'm finally back in the hospital. Step 1 and, to some extent, Sandy, had led to serious atrophy of my talkingtopatientsorius*. Bellevue is up and running--mostly**--and the Bellevue ER is about as much patient contact as a girl could ask for. Sure, we get more than our share of angry drunk people, but after only a week of shifts I've already seen an impressive and intriguing breadth of pathology, I&D'd an abscess and packed another one, ultrasounded and put a line in a viable vein in a drug user, and generally stretched my differential wings. And worn pajamas to work every day. Scrub blue brings out my eyes, man!

I put this faux quiche together relatively quickly--I've been cooking during the day in time to do my shifts at night--using a recipe from the New York Times and substituting leeks for onions. And putting a little buckwheat flour into the crust. I should have known that the promise of a waistline-friendly quiche-like substance was too good to be true. The stuff tasted great, but even after baking for 5 minutes over the maximum time and risking a burned crust, the filling broke down when I cut into it. After sitting in the fridge overnight, it firmed up nicely. Maybe it just has to be eaten cool? Either way, the creamy texture is great, and it makes me feel virtuous.

*Every med student's favorite muscle.
**I'm way too attached to this place, clearly, because I turn into a soppy mess whenever I think about what happened and how good it is to see the hospital springing back.