A trip to the market

After a couple days which were good, but with a few harrowing moments, I was pleasantly surpised to find my operating room finished at 2:30 with no cases to follow. I ran upstairs and saw my two patients from the day before. Back at the anesthesia office, the list for tomorrow had already come out. One case was assigned to me: a healthy elective donor partial hepatectomy. (A young patient giving part of his liver to a relative in need.) Because the patient was only 27, he had no real medical problems that I could find in the computer. Thus, by 3:15, I found myself on the streets of New York.

I have a distant cousin, Johanna, who lives in Brooklyn but works in Manhattan at Union Square. We made an impromptu appointment, and finally met for the first time 40 minutes later after an express subway ride and a transfer at Times Square.

It was a great New York summer afternoon with sunny skies and temperatures in the 80's. Johanna and I got smoothies and got to know each other sitting on a park bench overlooking the famous farmers' market. Children played nearby, and the square was a beehive of outdoor activity.

After Johanna returned to work, I picked up some fresh, organic zucchini, peppers, and red onions. And then I saw the peaches! Samples were set out--beautiful, moist, succulent, sweet, sticky-juice-dripping-down-your-chin-but-you-don't-care-these-things-are-so-good good! I got four which should ripen nicely over the next few days.

I finished the evening by exercising, running in the park, showering, and making a big pot of zucchini soup with the above ingredients (sans peaches), cheese, and cream. Ate dinner while watching an episode of Lost on DVD (I'm diligently working through the first season) and went to bed at 9:30.