12 AM to 6 AM Thread

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Just want to say for the record that I like you, Chip. :thumbup:

Now that the weather is going to be cooling off, I'll be getting back into baking mode when I have some time. Will def be coming up with some good midneat meals. Maybe I'll post some pics. :laugh:

Members don't see this ad.
 
and recipes please, although I'm a terrible baker.
Sure, but I have to warn you that I'm a substituter, and I don't always measure things.

Here's an easy one. Take one box of brownie mix and one can of pumpkin. Mix together and bake at 375 to your preferred level of chewiness. It's lower fat and higher fiber than regular brownies, and surprisingly good even if you don't like pumpkin (which I don't.)

Tips:
-Put the pumpkin in the mixing bowl first and add the brownie mix a little at a time. If you do it backwards, you'll only make that messy mistake once. ;)
-Don't add anything else to the recipe. You'll be tempted to put in some water or oil when the batter gets thick, but resist the urge.
-If you must add something else, then spread some peanut butter or nutella on top of the batter before putting the pan in the oven.

We need to get ShyRem to give us some recipes. She's a baking whiz.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
I've always liked doing cake-mix cookies with carrot cake mix.

That, and chocolate-oatmeal lumps. They may not look the tastiest, but they are the tastiest.
 
I have a terrible confession.







I have never in my life used a cake mix. Are they easy? (Truly I am not kidding here). I just seems like so much work to go get a box of mix (and i hear i would need veggie oil? don't have any of that either) when I have all the ingredients for a scratch cake in my pantry.

Dang. That makes me sound like a total *****.

I made white chocolate apricot scones last week. They were yummy.
 
I have a terrible confession.







I have never in my life used a cake mix. Are they easy? (Truly I am not kidding here). I just seems like so much work to go get a box of mix (and i hear i would need veggie oil? don't have any of that either) when I have all the ingredients for a scratch cake in my pantry.

Dang. That makes me sound like a total *****.

I made white chocolate apricot scones last week. They were yummy.

That sounds f'n delicious.
 
Just want to say for the record that I like you, Chip. :thumbup:

Now that the weather is going to be cooling off, I'll be getting back into baking mode when I have some time. Will def be coming up with some good midneat meals. Maybe I'll post some pics. :laugh:

+1

Just to jump on this baking train. Realized too late I was out of chocolate chips. Put nutella in the middle of my banana muffins instead. :smuggrin:
 
I have never in my life used a cake mix. Are they easy? (Truly I am not kidding here). I just seems like so much work to go get a box of mix (and i hear i would need veggie oil? don't have any of that either) when I have all the ingredients for a scratch cake in my pantry.

Cake mixes are slightly easier and faster than the real thing, but they never taste as good. I think the propylene glycol they add to make the cakes moist makes them taste worse. You will need eggs and vegetable oil. Save a slice for me.

Rice and beans for midneat, wrapping up a very successful day. I started the drywall work in the living room and cleaned up piles of dust that hadn't been disturbed since I bought the house. It's going to be a close race, but it looks like I'll be finished before I run out of firewood. With heating oil at $3.94 a gallon this winter, that's very important.
 
Yum, cooking.....

Speaking of food, today is my first day off since my bday and I finally get to celebrate, although I still have a ton of studying to get done. I'm making French toast and hashbrowns for breakfast and according to what my mom has told me there might be an Edible Arrangements fruit bouquet in my future.


It's kind of weird but it's supposed to snow soon, however, I'm hearing thunder right now. That means I'll probably have the overgrown mutt outside my bedroom door whimpering wanting to come in and sleep by me soon :rolleyes:
 
Last edited:
I'll probably have the overgrown mutt outside my bedroom door whimpering wanting to come in and sleep by me soon :rolleyes:


I'm confused. Is this a dog or a husband you're talking about?


The living room is ready for paint, the last bedroom is ready for drywall texture, and my back is ready for some OMM. Are there any DOs awake here?
 
Members don't see this ad :)
1:48 AM and my living room is primed and painted! Med school is going to be a breeze compared to this. It's bedtime now.
 
Good work, Chip. There's nothing better than standing in the doorway of a room you've just finished and having that self-congratulatory beer.
 
Just after midnight here. Eating a quick snack before trying to motivate myself to do major homework all night.

Suffering major end of semester burnout like nothing I've experienced before. Hoping to get in on a cool opp. for spring so I can sort of slack a bit this spring coursework-wise. It would also cut my commuting days and let me save a little money. bleh.

Still haven't decided on the MCAT for summer or not. Probably will depend on level of burnout when I finish this spring. Right now lazy days and 30 mile rides on the bike trail are looking really good to me. Maybe I could take a content review book out with me and read on the side of the trail along the river with a packed lunch or something. Exercise and MCAT review. Does that sound like a good plan? :cool:
 
Last edited:
Fighting off a 1/2 dose of MortinPM (headache) because I'm too amped thinking about all this pre-med stuff. :(:oops::cool:
 
It's nice to see this thread back up at the top again. Tonight I plumbed in a water softener. For the first time in my life I completed a plumbing project from start to finish with no interruptions to run to Home Depot for pipe fittings. That was the last significant project I had, so my house is finished! I'll be conducting a round-robin auction this Sunday. If any of you are stupid enough to want to live in North Pole, Alaska, you are welcome to place a bid.
 
It's nice to see this thread back up at the top again. Tonight I plumbed in a water softener. For the first time in my life I completed a plumbing project from start to finish with no interruptions to run to Home Depot for pipe fittings. That was the last significant project I had, so my house is finished! I'll be conducting a round-robin auction this Sunday. If any of you are stupid enough to want to live in North Pole, Alaska, you are welcome to place a bid.
I have a few questions since you're in Alaska,
Do you have an block heater for your truck?
Do you leave your car running when you run up to the super market or out to eat?
and once it gets below -20 degrees, does it feel the same?

Thanks
 
Nice work Chip!!! So you thinking you'll be headed to Tulane? Isn't that where MTHeaded is?

I've got an interview invite for University of Washington with Alaska's WWAMI program. Tuition there is about 65k less than Tulane, so UW has to be my top choice. Tulane was really nice though, so I won't be at all disappointed if I go there.

I have a few questions since you're in Alaska,
Do you have an block heater for your truck?
Do you leave your car running when you run up to the super market or out to eat?
and once it gets below -20 degrees, does it feel the same?

Thanks

My truck has an engine block heater, an oil pan heater, and a trickle charger for the battery. They aren't optional here. I plug the truck in for about two hours before I drive when the temperature drops to about 5 below. At about 30 below most cars won't run at all unless they've been plugged in. I don't mind plugging the truck in; the problem is that the cold causes cars to break, and it's awful trying to fix them when you can't touch a wrench without burning your hand.

I don't leave my truck running when I go out, but many do. Supermarkets and other businesses have plugs in the parking lot. If I'll be there more than an hour I'll plug in or go out periodically to run the engine for a few minutes.

There isn't any one temperature at which things no longer feel the same. The breakdown is roughly this:

10 above: As good as it gets this time of year. I still have to keep a fire going in the woodstove during all waking hours.

0: Coats, hat and gloves are required for even short trips outside. Cars should be plugged in.

10 below: The woodstove alone is no longer enough to keep the house warm in the day.

20 below: A face mask or scarf must be worn outside, even for short trips.

30 below: Cars will not start unless they are plugged in. If a cabin is left cold for a day, it may not be possible for the heater to burn diesel oil.

40 below: A bottle of 80 proof vodka will freeze solid if left on the porch.

50 below: Some cars will not run even if they were plugged in all night.

I should say that not all of Alaska gets this cold. I grew up in Kodiak, and it almost never got below 15 degrees in the daytime. I'm planning on living in Southeast or Southcentral Alaska for a few years after residency. Where I am now in North Pole is just too cold and miserable for me to ever come back to.
 
Just about midnight in CO tonight... Still can't believe I'm in med school... Studying GI... still a big thanks for all the help from Q and everyone!
 
Hey, you've gotta enjoy all the Twinkies you can while they're still around.
 
Ok, so it's technically a little bit past 6 a.m. here, oh well.

Currently waiting to here back on my application for one program this spring, trying to decide on whether or not to apply for a special clinical and translational science summer research training program here.

I want to, problem is the program is it's full-time in the city where my school is and I currently work 30 hrs a week. I don't believe you're allowed to work and do the program even I thought I could manage it. If I didn't own my house and have a mortgage to worry about I'd definitely go for it and leave my job if they wouldn't grant me a temp leave of absence.

Really having a hard time talking myself out of shooting for this great opportunity. :( They only take 10 students out of all of the health profession schools anyway, still I miss the freedom of being a traditional student and just going for it. Trying to decide if I should just apply and see what happens and if I get lucky, make a decision at that point. :shrug: :hungover:
 
Last edited:
So, brain's ready to be done for the semester.... one week left though.

It's 3 a.m. and I'm on a disrupted sleep schedule as usual, taking a study break, drinking eggnog.

Anyone else up?
 
So, brain's ready to be done for the semester.... one week left though.

It's 3 a.m. and I'm on a disrupted sleep schedule as usual, taking a study break, drinking eggnog.

Anyone else up?
I am. Actually I'm off tonight, but I'm forcing myself to stay awake because I start working nights again tomorrow. So I'm doing mindless things like laundry, answering emails, stupid online hospital modules, etc. This is an off-service rotation (meaning not in my specialty but required anyway). It's not fun by any stretch of the imagination (mainly because the hours suck and there's a significant amount of scut), but it isn't as bad as I was expecting. Not that that means much. :hungover:

Going to have generic brand Lucky Charms for midneat. It's not the healthiest, but eating junk food is about the only pleasure in my life this month. I get irregular sleep (and not enough of it). I don't have much time to spend with my friends and SO; even when I'm off, I'm too jetlagged to want to do much, and a lot of times no one else has time off when I do anyway. Getting to the gym is difficult for the same reason. So, it's lots of walks (still walking to and from the hospital whenever possible), lots of stairs instead of elevators, and lots of junk food. Fortunately the two mostly balance and I'm not gaining a bunch of weight.
 
Anybody up? Just woke up, finished 6 10hr night shifts this morning so sleep's a bit off as usual.

My check engine light is on and my car is acting funny and I have a 14 hr drive one way coming up to go home and see my family for the holidays. :( I'm also right on the line with the warranty.


Right now though my focus is on debating either trying to make eggnog french toast with crispy hash browns for ...... well whatever meal it is when you wake up at midnight with your stomach growling, or eating something somewhat healthier. Also, whether I should just chill and keep reading Game of Thrones, watch a movie, or try to sort paperwork and clean my house....

in other news, people suck http://news.yahoo.com/college-students-turtle-project-takes-dark-twist-182457207.html
 
Anybody up? Just woke up, finished 6 10hr night shifts this morning so sleep's a bit off as usual.

My check engine light is on and my car is acting funny and I have a 14 hr drive one way coming up to go home and see my family for the holidays. :( I'm also right on the line with the warranty.


Right now though my focus is on debating either trying to make eggnog french toast with crispy hash browns for ...... well whatever meal it is when you wake up at midnight with your stomach growling, or eating something somewhat healthier. Also, whether I should just chill and keep reading Game of Thrones, watch a movie, or try to sort paperwork and clean my house....

in other news, people suck http://news.yahoo.com/college-students-turtle-project-takes-dark-twist-182457207.html

Ah come on. Who'd aim for a turtle for God's sake? One of my good deeds was in moving a beautiful box turtle away from my nosey dogs this past summer. Turtles are incredibly cool.

Yea. Some people can pull up the ole suck factor.

Have a nice visit with your family. 14 hours on the road is tough. Done it a number of times on my way up to Maine. I was pretty much delirious when I got there.

Be safe!
 
Ah come on. Who'd aim for a turtle for God's sake? One of my good deeds was in moving a beautiful box turtle away from my nosey dogs this past summer. Turtles are incredibly cool.

Yea. Some people can pull up the ole suck factor.

Have a nice visit with your family. 14 hours on the road is tough. Done it a number of times on my way up to Maine. I was pretty much delirious when I got there.

Be safe!

Yeah, I've apparently earned a reputation among my friends for moving turtles, snakes, and even frogs off the road if it's safe for me to do so. They give me grief about it, but I know for a fact if I wasn't the first one jumping out to do it, they would be doing it too. lol

Did you have a good holiday, or were you working? Or did you have a good holiday and work?
 
Up late working on revisions to my thesis... So funny that graduate school is still stalking me even after my thesis defense. :thumbdown: No beuno.
 
Acting funny how?

The tire pressure sensor light is on (seems to be due to cold temps) not too worried about that.


I had some electrical issues with the vehicle (it's a 2011 kia) previously, last spring. The button to open the gas cover didn't work and I was having issues with the window. That was a short somewhere or something. Then I had issues with hill assist light going on, not being able to get my vehicle out of park without turning the car off and back on again, and the brakes seemed harder to engage and were louder. Car needed a download to fix that second issue.

The current issue is when I swiped my badge to get into the ramp at work, the window wouldn't go back up (wasn't a cold day, nothing frozen). I pulled into my spot, turned the ignition off and then I was able to roll it up. Happened again a week later. Then a few days after that I pulled up to a stoplight, and it was like the power in the car just went out completely. I turned the key back, then started it again and it worked fine. Then a couple nights later the check engine light came on. I have an appointment to get it in on the second but I'm hoping to leave on the 6th and am concerned I won't make my trip home if they need to order parts or something.


Gotta say, I'm a fan of older cars. I like my old Ranger, but I wouldn't trust it on a drive across two states and back. It scares me a bit when I have an issue with a vehicle that a download fixes :rolleyes:
 
Well, it's nothing I can diagnose from here. This is why I try to only buy cars made in the 1980's.
 
Yeah, I've apparently earned a reputation among my friends for moving turtles, snakes, and even frogs off the road if it's safe for me to do so. They give me grief about it, but I know for a fact if I wasn't the first one jumping out to do it, they would be doing it too. lol

Did you have a good holiday, or were you working? Or did you have a good holiday and work?

Sorry I missed a reply. I was working. :)

Yep, worked holidays, as usual. Part of nursing. Getting ready for the term to start again in a couple of days. They give practically no time in-between terms.


I got my gloves out one day and pulled a dead ground hog off the road. I didn't like the idea of it getting run over again and again. We get a lot of deer around here too. Just missed a gaggle of wild turkeys the other day.
 
Weird night.

First, I decided to crack open one of my MCAT review books just to see, then promptly slammed it closed. I believe in surgical slang that's what's referred to as a "peek and shriek."

I decided to watch Trauma life in the ER on Discovery Health Instead.


Then I went to bed to try and get well rested for my 14 hour drive today. I had dreams/nightmares of a zombie apocalypse and tossed and turned all night. Seriously, zombies, what the heck ?! No haven't watched any scary movies in months, just food network and the now Trauma show. But there I am toting heavy duty weapons fighting off the bad dudes with my friends.

Can't wait to get home to grandma's and see my family, pretty sure my grandma could kick some zombie butt. I'll sleep better there.
 
Last edited:
On my post night shift goofy sleep schedule. Class starts tomorrow. Going to be an interesting semester for sure. Basement is almost dried out. Then repairs start.

Filling out a TBR order form.

Just finished eating a slice of a Wild Rice and Mushroom Frittata, topped with a little shredded parmesan and prosciutto. Pretty good, fairly healthy, and hearty too.

Anyone else up at this weird hour?
 
Up.

Working on genetics homework. The class is pretty easy, but because I am interested I am sitting here doing all the problems in the back of the chapters and reading ahead. My textbook says that Ectrodactyly is aka "lobster claw syndrome". If you ask me, that's pretty f***ed up. Regardless, it is a nice break from doing my fluid mechanics homework for my M.Sc.
 
Up.

Working on genetics homework. The class is pretty easy, but because I am interested I am sitting here doing all the problems in the back of the chapters and reading ahead. My textbook says that Ectrodactyly is aka "lobster claw syndrome". If you ask me, that's pretty f***ed up. Regardless, it is a nice break from doing my fluid mechanics homework for my M.Sc.


Fluid dynamics sounds painful. Actually my genetics class was painful, interesting, but painful. I heard the instructor tell a student she could miss and exam to go home because of her father's heart attack (student had proof from a doc). Prof was just sadistic.



I've now moved on to dessert. Cookie dough ice cream.
 
I've now moved on to dessert. Cookie dough ice cream.

I wish that I could eat cookie dough ice cream. I am lactose intolerant.

Fluid dynamics isn't so bad, so long as you're decent with diff EQ. Super helpful in computer modeling. Geophysical Inverse Theory, now that s**t sucks. I am curious where I'll be able to use my modeling skills in the medical field. I am sure that there are a million different uses for the same software packages/languages that I use, but I just can't imagine them at the moment.

Off to bed it seems.
 
I wish that I could eat cookie dough ice cream. I am lactose intolerant.

Fluid dynamics isn't so bad, so long as you're decent with diff EQ. Super helpful in computer modeling. Geophysical Inverse Theory, now that s**t sucks. I am curious where I'll be able to use my modeling skills in the medical field. I am sure that there are a million different uses for the same software packages/languages that I use, but I just can't imagine them at the moment.

Off to bed it seems.

studying circulation issues?
 
Give this the ol BUMPski. For all you non-trad pre-meds aspiring to do OB. If you have a preceptor who does mad surgeries. 6AM wake up call. Pre-round and 7AM in the OR. 3 robotic hysterectomies lined up. And if one of our gals' babies wants a birthday today, probably make a birthday today if she dilates and effaces.

Welcome to OB!
 
Awake... Just fallen asleep when I got called in to my cornea procurement gig. It was a transplant case which is a rather involved procedure that I haven't done since I got signed off during training about a year ago...Oh we'll, I figure, the case is in the morgue so I won't feel rushed with nurses trying to get the room ready for another pt... Except I'm then informed tissue recovery is coming in behind me.

Then my badge access wasn't working so I had to have security escort me while explaining why I needed into a research lab at midnight followed by the morgue to remove a body. Guy was totally not sure about that. Finally just about finished, and I get informed theres another case, yay. So I needed a security escort again. Got light headed and nauseous during #2 due to not eating for 12 hours... Now that I'm home attempting to eat I can't get rid of the dead ppl smell.

I suppose this would have worked just as well in the I feel crappy thread.

Interesting/rewarding job playing a role in restoring someones eyesight, but so glad this is my last month.
 
Now this is a thread that deserves a bump. :naughty:

Working nights this week. At the moment, nothing too exciting going on. I do have one patient who has now ripped out his nasogastric tube twice. I debated putting it back in for the third time, but decided that inserting an NG tube into a bucking bronco of an agitated patient wasn't a fight I felt like having at the moment. Maybe after he settles down a little. Right before shift change, of course. :smuggrin:
 
Up at 4 a.m for volunteering gig in a bit. I really enjoy it, except for the whole it's in another city thing. I didn't even mind the guy yelling "give me my effing sandwich". Over and over....although maybe cuz i didnt have to actually deal with him.


Although I got rather irritated with a nurse when one of the patients who'd been behaving very well the three hours I'd been there told a patient " just a minute" when he said he needed to go to the bathroom, then proceeded to text on her cell phone for another 10 minutes, flirt with the security guard for a few more, and finally left for her break without mentioning to anyone else to help him. I snagged one of the PCAs and the poor guy filled the urinal container pretty good. Regardless of the reason he was in there, felt bad for him....
 
Last edited:
Anyone else up? It feels like an SDN faux pas to double post/bump a thread :p


It's 5:13 here in central time land and I'm washing my bedding, eating an egg white omelet, and getting ready to sort paper work while watching "Gifted Hands" or maybe another netflix movie.

The one good thing about MCAT procrastination is that it might result in me having a super clean house :smuggrin:
 
Top