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So, yeah, the other thing I wanted to talk about tonight.

I work part time as an EMT here in Brooklyn. No secrets or big revelations there. Most of the time, we’re just shuttling folks to the hospital. Not to downplay what we do, but let’s face it, not every job is of the “Third Watch” or “ER” or “Saved” variety. Sometimes, though, I encounter jobs — people — that make me step back and think about some bigger-picture things.

Tonight, for instance, I had two jobs back to back. In the second, I actually got to watch as the patient whom I had been ventilating came backfully  from respiratory arrest after the medics administered Narcan. No 911 call, no us, no medics, no way that patient would have been alive longer than a few minutes. So we helped turn a life around — or, well, we helped it continue where it may not have continued much longer at all.

The earlier call, though … two folks had been eating an early supper, and with no warning, one of them collapsed. We worked with the medics again, who were able to use a pacing wire to keep the patient’s heart beating at a life-sustaining rhythm, but I the outcome here wasn’t quite as positive as the other job had been.

Imagine, then, if you’re just out to brunch with your spouse or lover … and they just go. Sure, healthcare providers can try for the save, but sometimes, it’s that person’s time and there’s nothing we can do. Your special person is gone and while you were just living a normal day with him or her, eating your eggs and bacon, or maybe some pancakes, you have no idea that 5 minutes from then he or she would be gone. Did you say everything you wanted to? Does he or she know how you feel?

Maybe I’m hung up a bit, but that image is really sticking with me. One minute there, the next gone. I don’t want to live a life full of unsaids and I-hope-they-know’s.

Or, maybe it’s just very late and I’m tired. Hmm. Off to bed.

There are two things I want to talk about tonight. And one’s pretty heavy, so I’ll start with something a bit more upbeat. Last weekend I had the privilege of  cooking some more recipes from The Splendid Table’s How to Eat Supper, for my own Valentine … we made a simple pan-rasted salmon on a bed of fresh greens, which looked a little something like this:

Alongside it went the almond-turmeric potatoes, which were tasty, but I failed to brown the onions enough beforehand so I wasn’t 100% satisfied. I’m going to have to make this side dish again to see if I can get it right. But it was an excellent, quick, easy and very healthy entree, and it seemed to go over well.

And since I had a special request from the principessa for a chocolate-based dessert, we had whipped up some gooey chocolatey cinnamon-tinged mini cakes. I served them with vanilla bean ice cream and fresh strawberries, and it went a little something like this:

Of course, it looked better on the 14th than this recreation I made on the 19th did, and apparently I need to work on my presentation, but with all of the flavors of the bittersweet chocolate, the tart and sweet berries, and the smooth, cool cream, well … let’s just say it was a good Valentine’s Day.

Buon appetito!

First, I finally got around to uploading pictures from last month’s party-slash-concert for Angela … Michela and I joined Niki, Angie and a host of others in welcoming Angela into *ahem*th birthday. We went to Hill Country BBQ, which is one of Angela’s faves, where the meat is plentiful and sold by the pound. We were very happy to catch a performance by Yarn, the country/bluegrass/Dead-y jam band that Niki’s husband plays in. Check out the pics on the new photo page, from the menu link above!

And next up … last night, Michela took me and Sherri to see Rachael Sage and a few other bands at the Bowery Poetry Club. This was a benefit for FREED (For Recovery and Elimination of Eating Disorders), and while some of the acts were more polished than the others, they were all a lot of fun and definitely on the spirited side. This was the first time I’d seen Rachael live, and she does not disappoint! Check her out, grab some of her tunes, and check out the pictures. One of the surprises of the night was the last band, Changing Modes … they had a sharp zydeco/trippy/punky sound which bit into the audience hard, I had to pick up some CDs.

Today I woke up at a normal-human hour (after getting bed a non-laid-off-person hour, a rare event) and zipped out to Old Westbury on Long Island. I met Annimal at a Starbucks and we got some lunch at a fancy supermarket, then drove in to NYCOM. This is one of the schools to which I’ve applied, and it’s a DO school, so there are some differences between what I would be learning here versus, say, SUNY Downstate (an allopathic or MD school). 

In any case, NYCOM has a pilot problem-based learning program called the Doctor Patient Continuum. Annimal is in this program, and basically, the students do not go to the “regular” medical lectures (outside of the Anatomy bits and the Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine bits) … they get a patient case, take a mock history or interview, an decide what to study based on that case, in the group. It sounds great on paper and is even better in person. Ann had finagled an opportunity for me to come in and attend a DPC session with the 2nd-year DO students – thanks Ann!!!

When I walked into the classroom I was introduced to the group, and then sat in a corner to observe quietly. They were finishing up a neuro case that had lasted 5 sessions or so, so while I was able to follow a bit of what was going on, the depths of the anatomy and pathology were above my currently level of understanding. So of– course, one of the two doctors supervising the group asks me to answer the first of several questions that the group was using to review the material!

The question was about which other nerves provide positive feedback to the Purkinje cells in the cerebellar cortex. Luckily, the group (7 students) had some slides up on the screen at the start, with the anatomy of some of the cellular-level goings-on, and I had devoured them with interest, so I was able to discount some of the answers, clarify which ones I had no clue on, and correctly went with the climbing fibers. The docs told me they’d take me in the program.

After that they closed out their questions (excellent prep for the upcoming boards), and went on to a new case: a 55-year old man presenting with “bone pain” and recent acute epistaxis (nose bleeds). It was interesting to watch oen student acting as a doctor, taking the history from the “patient” (another student who had the Hx and exam information), and the rest of the class quickly jumping in after the initial history was completed. They went on to a differential diagnosis, created- a comprehensive list of tests they would require, and decided what they would study for the next session. A great, organic approach to learning that would — once everyone went home, studied, and presented the material to the group, and discussed — provide each with a solid understanding of the anatomy and pathology in question.

Afterwards I met with the program coordinator, Dr Elkowitz, and talked about the session and the DPC program in general. He walked me through the applicaiton process, and I’m very much looking forward to the interview and orientation next week!

So yeah, a fun Friday.

Now I sit here in the medical library, waiting for Ann to complete her DPC session, then we’ll go get some dinner!

Wow. Major yums on this one. This past Duck, at the white elephant gift exchange, I stole and fiercely defended a copy of The Splendid Table’s How to Eat Supper. It’s ostensibly a cookbook, but with wonderful stories from the chefs, easy alternates for each recipe, great information on how to select and buy whatever (canned tomatoes, chicken broth, etc), and much more. This book is a definite WANT for any foodie, I love it and I love the person who brought it to the gift swap.

I’ve been wanting to try some of these recipes for a month now, and yesterday I finally did. I made a garden-in-a-pot soup adjusted into a farmhouse minestrone. Basically chicken stock added to aromatic veggies, with tomatoes and beans added along with more veggies like spinach and cabbage and zucchini (and I hate zucchini). Wow. I tasted it before I left for class and it was wonderful. It was even better when me and my dinner date got home and ate it for reals. Hearty, with a lot of complex flavors, lightly seasoned … perfect for a cold night.

The real surprise was the panna cotta, though. I’d never made it before, but this recipe was as easy as the Splendid Table folks said. 5 minutes prep, and a few hours to set, and sweet vanilla creamy goodness on the tongue. There’s so much … come over and help me eat it!

Maybe I should take some pics of the food before it’s all gone …

UPDATE: I found the recipe online at the Splendid Table’s website, so I won’t be getting into any trouble by posting it online. It really is all that, and then some.