Residential Space

I am typing this from the airplane as I return to Seattle from San Antonio (after a stop in Dallas). I have had negative experiences in the past with Dallas’ airport, but I figured that a stop there was better than having to transfer to another plane. Dallas did not fail to incite my frustration, and now I compose this blog post to honor the airport’s not-so-outstanding customer service efforts.

After the flight landed in Dallas, I opted to leave the plane (with my carry-on bags) in order to locate either a lactation room or a family bathroom. I have a five month old baby at home. The Seattle-Tacoma airport, to its great credit, has spoiled me with a children’s play area and adjoining “mother’s room.” Prior to leaving Seattle on this trip, I was able to use this room just before boarding the airplane, and the seven hours of travel did not seem as bad (four hours to Houston, hour layover, 45 minute flight to San Antonio, and a cab ride to the hotel). In anticipation of a four hour flight from Dallas to Seattle, I thought it was a reasonable plan.

We landed at the A terminal. I spent almost ten minutes searching for a family bathroom or “mother’s room.” All I found was a large restroom with multiple stalls and busy traffic in and out. No good. I asked an American Airlines rep where the nearest family bathroom or lactation room was (I used the words “lactation room” to illustrate why I needed some degree of privacy). She informed me there was no such place in the A terminal, but to go to the C terminal. I carted my bags to the C terminal (a nice hike), and found the family bathroom with the sign on its door: “Closed for Renovation.” Hmmm…that’s frustrating.

I asked another American Airlines rep the same question, and she suggested (I am not fabricating this) that I try the A terminal. When I explained that I had just been there and was told there was no family bathroom there, she said, “Oh, maybe there isn’t one there then.” My frustration was peaking when I noticed the American Airlines Special Travelers office, and I thought: Maybe I’m a special traveler. I have a special need, right? A need that many, many, MANY women have at some point during their lives. This is not unheard of.

I asked the woman at the desk the same question. She told me she didn’t know where a family bathroom or a lactation room was. I then clarified: “Do you have a private bathroom with an electrical outlet that I can use?” There was a children’s play area behind her (completely empty – not a soul there) with an attached family bathroom. She took me around the corner to a small bathroom. I waited for the occupant to exit, and once she did, I entered, only to find the lack of an electrical outlet. I returned to the desk and relayed this information to her. She said, “We don’t have anything then.” I asked specifically about the family bathroom behind her. She replied (again, this is what she actually said): “That’s an area for kids and families so you can’t use that.” When I told her there were, in fact, no kids and families back there, and I was trying to take care of a need for a baby at home, she told me again I could not use it. She then explained that there was a bathroom in the area for people staying overnight with them, but I could not use that either. So basically – nada.

So that was it – I returned to terminal A, reboarded the plane, and that was that.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding. The benefits at this point are not disputed, even by companies who produce formula. It is good for babies. It benefits the mother as well, not just financially and emotionally but physically (lower risk of developing breast cancer). All we need is one small room with an electrical outlet. While pumping in the bathroom is kind of gross, I sought anything. Had I been in Seattle perhaps I would have thrown my jacket over my front and pumped at the gate. However, because I was in Texas (whether this is rational or not) I did not want to be arrested should one of the other passengers or employees decide he/she was uncomfortable with this.

I’m sure the city of Dallas does not care that I will not fly through its airport again. I’m even more sure that American Airlines would remain indifferent to my dilemma, even if I wrote to the CEO (which I am contemplating). But it makes me feel better to write about it anyway, because I think the more that is out there about this topic, the better in the long run. Hopefully by the time my five month old daughter has children, she will be able to find at least a dark storage closet to pump milk for her baby, should she choose to do so. 

Okay, I should say that I “get” the Super Bowl commercials in that I understand why they are supposed to be funny. The problem is – they just aren’t. Or, at least as my Facebook status update stated just after the Super Bowl this year, I must not be the target audience of Budweiser or of Doritos. The Bud Light commercials were predictable and passe – sorry, but if I were stranded on a deserted island, and had the choice between radioing for help or running for Bud Light, I think I would choose the first option.

While Budweiser’s ads lacked charisma, I found some of the Doritos ads just downright offensive. One Doritos ad featured a man coming to take a woman on a date, and the woman’s young son observes this man eyeing her. When the woman leaves to finish getting ready, and the man reaches for a chip in a bowl, the boy slaps him across the face, telling him to keep his hands off of his Doritos AND off of his mother.

I spoke with many other parents after this, and we all agreed – if our children slapped an adult in this way, they would be in so much trouble. I know Gabriel would be in a timeout, would have toys taken away, and would have to apologize to his target, at the very least.

There were a few good ads, though. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the Google ad featuring the French love story. It was clever – no spoken words, it requires the viewer to read in order to follow along, and it brings one in to the story. It was not predictable – the final line has you thinking that the person is searching for “how to assemble a wedding invitation,” but instead he writes “how to assemble a crib.” Evan and I both let out an “Awwwwwww.” Very sweet! Of course, this ad was only voted the ninth best of the game. C’est la vie.

Ken Burns has to be my favorite documentary film maker at this point, and I say that having never seen his well-known piece on the Civil War. Gabriel was born just as Burns’s World War II film, The War, was being shown on PBS. As we endured many throughout-the-night feedings during that newborn period, I watched this film in 20-30 minute bites and felt sheer amazement at the amount of research and the organization required to sift through so many photos, video clips, and tracking down witnesses sixty years later for interviews. Well, days after Caroline was born, I saw Burns interviewed on The Colbert Report, discussing his newest film on the U.S. National Parks. I finished the final segment in the wee hours of the morning today, and it was AWESOME.

I just cannot find a more sophisticated way of saying it – it is an awesome film. It is well-researched, elegant, educational, inspiring – after twelve hours of total viewing over a three week period, I found myself disappointed that there was not even more. It got me excited about the latter half of the 19th century in U.S. History/early 20th century, and I found myself browsing online for books about John Muir (about whom I knew nothing until this film experience), Theodore Roosevelt (why don’t I know more about him than I do?), Stephen Mather (of whom I had never heard until this film), Horace Albright – the list goes on and on. There are so many very pivotal figures in our nation’s history, responsible for preserving much of our native biological heritage, who are overlooked in high school history classes.

I have neglected my blog since the end of June, and I confess – I have missed it. The major highlights of this period of time have included:

• Experiencing Gabriel’s second birthday and watching him grow into his newly acquired “two year old” title. The language acquisition from week to week is astounding, and now he sings along (real time) with his music. The only thing he wanted for his birthday was “ice cream and cake.” He has also transitioned to the “big boy bed,” but still does have some difficulty remembering to stay in it. This will come. Overall, it’s a great age!
• Beginning my vascular neurology fellowship in July; so far it’s a very worthwhile experience. I know I’ve really made it because I have an office and a desk. I don’t mind the lack of air conditioning or sharing the office with two lovely other people – just having a place to keep my stuff rather than carting it back and forth to the hospital each day is extremely satisfying. I have clinic two half-days each week, which tends to spill over into other days as I return patient phone calls, complete paperwork, and follow up on studies. I have also already seen a lot of stroke cases and am developing in my subspecialty. I am pleased to have stayed on for the extra year of training.
• Growing a new baby! Our second child is due at the end of September, and we are becoming more eager to meet her (and more desperate to get our place organized in anticipation of her arrival).
• Traveling to SC for my brother, Tim’s, wedding. The weekend started at the beach; Gabriel had a blast in the waves and building sandcastles (or rather, just doing a lot of digging while we showed him how to fill the sand molds for castle construction). After a few days, I settled into my role as a pregnant bridesmaid, and we enjoyed a terrific experience as Gabriel gained an Aunt Channing and I got to see my brother truly happy.
• Enjoying a month-long visit from Evan’s sister, Catherine. She is in her fourth year of medical school in NYC and spent the month in Seattle doing a dermatology clinical rotation. It was wonderful to get to know her better (we’ve always been separated by significant geographic barriers), and for Gabriel to bond with his aunt. We indulged in many blackberry-heavy fruit salads after picking them by the buckets behind our building – what a great crop this summer for Seattle!

I’ have also been reading voraciously over the past six weeks or so and have fallen short in posting my usual reviews. Here are my reads with reviews of five words or less for each one:

• The House of Hope and Fear by: Audrey Young – great read; the Harborview experience!
• Exercising Through Your Pregnancy by: James Clapp, MD – ehhh, so-so.
• The Telephone Gambit by: Seth Shulmann – intriguing possibility!
• The Omnivore’s Dilemma by: Michael Pollan (still in process of reading) – excellent and infuriating

Last night, I graduated from the University of Washington’s neurology residency program. After four years of being on call, running back and forth from the ICU to the ER, giving talks, and honestly – having fun (did I just say that?) – residency is over. Well, unless one includes working next week and taking three more calls before June 30th.

It’s hard to believe that, after a twelve year road, I’ve reached the end of my training. I’m thrilled to be staying on for the next year at Harborview as the stroke neurology fellow, to continue treating patients while devoting more time to reading, working on various projects, giving talks, writing papers, and transitioning further into that independent role as a practitioner.

Here’s to the next 30 years!

Having lived near Charlotte, NC for many years prior to becoming a Pacific Northwesterner, I flew on US Air flights not infrequently. Evan was even one of their preferred (I don’t recall the specific title) Dividend Miles customers because he flew with them so frequently on business trips out of Charlotte. When Gabriel and I recently were trying to get back to Seattle from Charlotte after a trip East, US Air and I experienced a painful break up.

I initially flew to Charlotte on a Continental flight as we got a great fare (of course, I later realized why – the connection was through Newark). In any case, the return flight was cancelled, and Continental placed us on a US Air flight from Charlotte to Houston, followed by a Continental flight from Houston to Seattle. After being booked, we walked to the US Air counter, where no one was available to assist us with getting boarding passes (the automated kiosks did not recognize our information). Finally I called a woman over to help us, and she rudely informed me that I needed to use the kiosk. When I explained that our information was not in there because we had been re-routed, she then told us Continental should have dealt with this. I explained to her that the flight from Charlotte to Houston was a US Air flight and we needed boarding passes from US Air.

Then came the baggage check. Gabriel and I were both fully ticketed passengers – we paid for two tickets. However, for ease of travel, we consolidated our items into one large suitcase. The suitcase weighed 57 pounds, seven pounds over what they allow for the $15 charge for a single checked bag. I asked how much I owed per pound over, and she informed me it was a $50 fee for any amount over 50 pounds, be it an extra half of a pound or 20 pounds. I wondered if this was an issue with workers not having to lift bags that are too heavy, but no – if you’re first class, your bag can weigh up to 70 pounds, free of charge.

Next came the obvious question – since we paid for two tickets, but were only checking one bag, could she just charge me $15 as if we were checking a second bag that weighed seven pounds? No, she told me. The rules clearly state that I had to move seven pounds from one suitcase into another bag. But why, I asked? It’s easier to have it in one bag, and I’ll just pay you $30. No, she replied, it’s our policy that any amount over 50 pounds for cabin passengers is an additional $50 charge. At this point, my mother, bless her heart, lit into her, and an impressive verbal exchange took place between the two of them. Eventually, we took seven pounds worth of stuff out of the suitcase and left it with my mother in Charlotte. Then, to find that US Air did not carry milk on their flight from Charlotte to Houston was absurd! With all of the children flying, and not being able to bring extra milk through security, how can they get away with not providing it on the planes, even at a charge? Continental had it and was happy to share it.

Flying used to be fairly simple, and fun at times. It has gotten to be so miserable. Between this episode, having to leave a secured area in Houston to travel between terminals and then re-endure security with a toddler for the second time in a single day, getting to Houston and realizing that every single food service place had closed by 6PM and food was nowhere to be found (fortunately my cousin, a flight attendant, was able to buy food for us and bring it to us), and having my son’s little plush puppy taken from him in Seattle to be examined by security while he cried helplessly, I was ready to be finished with air travel. However, because we live 3000 miles from my family, air travel will remain part of our lives, despite my disdain for it.

I posted this blog commentary in September 2008, venting my frustration that the war in Iraq and the economy in crisis had been separated by the media and politicians as separate issues. Estimates indicate that anywhere from $1-3 billion (maybe I should write it as $1,000,000,000.00 to $3,000,000,000.00 for emphasis on how many zeros are present in these numbers) is being spent per month on the war in Iraq.

A member of my family forwarded an email that is circulating currently, which is currently sparking a familial discussion about whether the stimulus package is too expensive, whether it will work, etc. The focus of this forwarded message goes something like this: A billion is a huge number. A billion seconds ago it was 1959. A billlion minutes ago Jesus was alive. A billion hours ago no creatures walked upright on this planet. It then went on to outline how unfair this person thought it was that, of the 400,000-plus residents of New Orleans, the region is requesting so many billions of dollars, which works out to over $1 million per household when divided evenly. Then, at the end, there a not-so-poignant remark about how irritated the author is that he/she still has to dial “1” for English. I’m not sure that adding the issue of immigration into the message helped to illustrate the main point (it’s not the fault of immigrants that a billion is a large number, right?), but in any case, it was there.

My first reaction to this is – this is being circulated by someone out there critical of the stimulus package who thinks the government is spending too much. Does this same person recognize that he/she was (likely) in support of an overseas conflict costing $12-36 billion yearly? Many estimate the total cost of the war will near $1 trillion ($1,000,000,000,000.00) when factoring in disability payments for veterans, healthcare and psychiatric costs, rebuilding efforts, interest on the loans we have taken to pay for the war in the first place, etc.

At least the stimulus package gives us infrastructure we desperately need. It makes our buildings more energy efficient. It funds education. As someone in Washington state, I’m pleased that it replaces our volcanic monitoring equipment, despite how Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal may feel. My point is – we get something from the use of this money. Tangible things in the U.S., built by people living here. We’re investing in children who will make the country better. The $1 trillion to be spent on Iraq when all is said and done does what? Demolishes and then rebuilds a foreign nation that was never a threat to us? Pays to rehabilitate and care for returning veterans who should not have been sent into harm’s way in the first place? People who support the latter and don’t support the former are using a line of thinking which I cannot understand (unless the one arguing in favor of spending in Iraq is a stockholder in an energy company enjoying a no-bid contract over there).

My son, despite being 18 months old, was able to enjoy Obama’s inauguration as millions of his fellow Americans did on January 20th. He will not remember it, but I hope he appreciates the photos we took.

Please excuse the bump on the forehead. He is, after all, a toddler, and sometimes walls and the floor can be nuisances for him.

So many of us make them, and most of us will break them. Ahhh, the New Year’s Resolution. In the past, mine have always been to run regularly, and then by March I’m finished, until starting again in July, and then losing steam again in October. By then, it’s time to make another resolution to run the following year. I remember one year making my resolution to read 50 books the following year, but who was I kidding? When I read a book, it takes time to finish – I have to be in the right mood, and have to savor every page rather than reading quickly. It takes me weeks, if not months, to finish a book. I have always loved to read, but now that I read so many medical charts, journal articles, and radiology/EEG/EMG reports, when I get home often the enthusiasm is lacking. I do seem to be reading an awful lot of Dr. Seuss and P.D. Eastman with a certain toddler at home, though!

So perhaps I should be setting more realistic goals for the year. Maybe if they are actually achieveable I will feel more compelled to strive towards meeting them rather than giving up when life becomes stressful and busy. Let’s try this:

• I will shoot to read 12 books next year, one for each month.
• I will aim to exercise for at least a 30 minute interval, three times each week.
• I am currently on lesson 11 of my French podcast series. I will complete through lesson 40 by the end of 2009.

If I were being really manic in my New Year’s goals, one would be to finally finish the “book” I’ve been writing since May 2005 when I first moved to Seattle. Every six months I revisit it, re-edit what I have already written, write another page or two, and then set it aside again for another six months. Realistically, I’m not sure I will be finishing it in 2009, but perhaps someday.

I am pleased that I have been able to somewhat keep my blog up, despite a resident’s schedule and a little boy in my life. This seems to be the creative outlet I have maintained for myself, so I imagine I will continue to return to it until at least into my 80’s, should I be fortunate enough to enjoy that sort of longevity.

From reading the news online and talking to others, it seems most people believe that 2008 has been a very lousy year. With the war continuing and the economy in crisis, the future is definitely uncertain. Yet, I’ve found 2008 quite rewarding, mostly because it was my first full year as the mother to a wonderful boy. I have watched Gabriel grow from a helpless five month old at the beginning of January into a vivacious, passionate, and loads-of-fun toddler who runs through our home to hug me when I walk through the door each evening. How could I complain when I have those moments?

In any case, an early Happy 2009 to everyone!

For as much passion as I hold for politics (particularly national politics), I would have thought this historic election would have provided great fodder for this blog. Yet, I have found that plenty of people out there are saying what I wish to say more eloquently than I would say it. The negativity makes me angry, but if I blogged everytime the GOP presidential and vice-presidential candidates behave in a manner that is hypocritical, reprehensible, or non-Christian, I would do nothing but sit in front of my computer, typing furiously day after day. I believe a few comments will illustrate how I’m feeling:

• When Sarah Palin was selected as John McCain’s running mate, I, like the rest of the country, was inspired by her…to finally donate to the Obama campaign. I have never given money to a campaign, but this was the one. That $150 million Obama raised in September? You can thank Sarah Palin for it.
• I am constantly fearful for Obama’s safety. He’s so close to victory, and all it would take is one misguided lunatic to end it all. It’s frightening. When Sarah Palin half smiles at rallies as her supporters call him a terrorist and yell things like “kill him,” I have to wonder – where are these Christian principles she espouses? I hear much more Christian things coming from Obama’s lips than from McCain’s or Palin’s. The right-wing Republicans should be voting Democratic in this election, but I suppose voting against one’s self interests is not a new concept.
• While we’re on the topic of Sarah Palin, have you noticed that she will state things as fact that are easily disproved? I’m thinking of the firing of her public safety commissioner for not firing her brother-in-law, the panel of eight Republicans and four Democrats who found she violated Alaska’s ethics law, and her comment (I’m paraphrasing) that she is so pleased that the panel found she did not violate the ethics law. What?! I half expect her to tell the media how pleased she is to be awarded the Nobel Prize or to state as a fact that scientists have proved the polar icecaps are reaccumulating. As long as you say it definitively and with a straight face, I guess that makes it true somehow?
• In 2000 when I was living in South Carolina, I had a great deal of respect for John McCain during the GOP primary. I didn’t agree with all of his stances, but the man was respectable. I will never forgive him for this election. He has thrown his principles out the window to try to win the presidency, and as a result, I predict he will lose. He has attempted to embrace the sort of negative campaigning that allowed Bush to beat him in 2000, but what he doesn’t understand is – that worked in South Carolina. It doesn’t jive in most of the country. People at their cores are still decent, and the negativity has gone over the top for most. I will also never forgive him for placing the country’s future in such great jeopardy by choosing the running mate he has chosen. How selfish of him to place her in such a position of power. He needs to really start putting “country first” and ambition-to-win-the-presidency second.
• Man, isn’t Tina Fey awesome?!
• I am so glad Joe Biden finally called the other side out about “pro-America.” In their rallies they frequently speak of “small town American values,” “real Americans,” and those who are “pro-American.” Since when did people living in large cities lack values? Why are those in small towns better than those who live in cities? Tax revenues from cities often fund smaller towns – so I guess we’re not pro-America when we’re paying to support all of those “real Americans.” Way to go, Joe.
• If the other side does win, I’m glad I’m somewhat sheltered in Seattle, although I do love South Carolina very much.
• How can anyone be undecided at this point?!