4 days

Today marks a first in the Galbraith relationship.

We haven't spoken in 4 days.

The only thing I know of his whereabouts is that he is somewhere in Panama.

Here are some email snippets from Colin G.

"We spent the morning driving to the Pacific coast, to Puntarenas. This morning we walked around a really poor neighborhood (like stray dog, broken roads, burning trash poor) doing a health survey. It was fun because I got to practice my spanish with locals who didn´t speak any English. After that we went over to the beach for dinner. I had bass coated in garlic, so it´s a good thing you aren´t around because you wouldn´t want to make out with me anyway."
*Hmmmm, at this point I don't think a little 'ole garlic bass would get in the way of anything

"Yesterday I got to extract some teeth. It was tough because the first patient was a little girl about 8 years old who was crying so much that we had to hold her arms down. I basically went in as fast as I could because I knew she was scared. Then I had an older woman with only one tooth left, which happened to be healthy except for the fact that it was fused to the bone. We didn´t have a drill to cut the bone, so me and the main doctor had to chisel it out by hand. We were in a different clinic today, this time in a VERY poor area near Alajuela. I spent the day cleaning gnarly teeth - it made me want to brush my teeth 10 times a day. But as usual, the kids were really cute and they loved when I took their picture. "

"We spent two days in a clinic in Costa Rica in a town called ¨Little Hell¨. The neighborhood is known for its drugs and shootings. All over the place you saw thugs with dark glasses, bandanas and tattoos on their faces just hanging out under the trees. The overall health of our patients was a lot worse than the other clinic, too. I got to do two fillings which turned out pretty well, but was much tougher than working on a mannequin. If people didn´t have tongues or saliva, the dentist´s job would be much easier!"

"We just got to Panama today (the border crossing was pretty interesting). We have two days off and then back to work for the rest of the week."

Why am I not suprised

Colin G loves kids...and they love him. More so than me.

I'm ok with that.

Take for instance our friends two year old Clarkie.

He calls us both Colin. We, as a collective unit, are Colin. He will run up to me, excited as can be shouting "Colin! Colin!" and ask me to come and play.

Here is Colin in Costa Rica with some of the local kids:

Sometimes Colin G tells me we should have 12 kids. I laugh and tell him he is crazy. He says he is kidding, but I think that secretly if I had any desire whatsoever to birth 12 children he would totally be down.

But seeing as how I refuse to drive a 15 passenger van, this will never happen.

Review: Mary Poppins

Thursday night we saw Mary Poppins at the New Amsterdam Theatre in Times Square. The production starred Ashley Brown as Mary Poppins and Gavin Lee Bert. They were fantastic!

The costumes and the sets were phenomenal, as was the dancing. My favorite song/dance was "Step in Time" with all of the sweeps. The only thing that I was bummed about was they didn't do the scene with the song "I Love to Laugh." That is one of my favorite scenes in the movie and I was interested to see how it would play out on stage, with everybody floating up to the ceiling.

The writers also incorporated some other songs and bits of storyline that were not in the movie. I'm not sure if they were in the book but I enjoyed them none the less. The overall theme of the play was really focused on how Mary helps to bring the Banks family back together. I must have missed that undertone in the movie as a child, or else it was just a lot less overt.

At the end of the show Mary flys away from 17 Cherry Tree lane out over the crowd. All of the little girls in the audience went NUTS and it was so funny listening to their high pitched shrieks. I'll admit, it was pretty awesome.

I would have to say that it was a fantastic NYC date!

A Gift Solicitation

It is July 1st and you know what that means?! Absolutely nothing!

But, you could turn it into a very special day and get Colin G and I this book, wherein we will find endless possibilities for fun weekend adventures.

Sometimes I wish I was a nudist...

but only sometimes.

This past weekend we hosted a great bbq. A good time was had by all, even if it was 90+ degrees. Our newly acquired window unit was working overtime and every one was still sweating their brains out. I'm pretty sure if we had suggested a nudist bbq everybody would have been down, but the Galbraiths have a reputation to uphold here in Philadelphia.

Anyway, to beat the heat I made the most bomb-diggity coconut ice cream evah! I was a little nervous because I basically just dumped stuff in a bowl, mixed, and then stuck it in the maker but it turned out quite excellent.

I thought I would share, but just a disclaimer these measurements are rough and if you are watching your waistline this is not for you. Sorry.

2 cans creme de coconut
1 can coconut milk (full fat and delicious, not lite)
1 cup shredded coconut (sweetened)
3 cups cream
1 cup milk

Put the coconut milk and shredded coconut in the food processor and blend. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Put in the ice cream maker. The end. I think I may have added some coconut extract but I don't think it did much.

Our friend Clark was a total renegade and put Aunt Jill's lemon fruit dip on top of the ice cream. Best. Idea. Ever.

We caught fire flies with the two year olds and I decided I was a deprived child because we didn't have fireflies in Colorado. The possibilities for fun are endless with those little guys. I wanted to squish out the luciferase and make war paint the kiddos faces, but decided that maybe their moms wouldn't appreciate me smearing dead bug all over their children. So, I decided to save that idea for my own children. poor kids.

And something fun for the kids

That last one was getting pretty deep, so I'll liven things up a bit with this video:

Reminds me again why I'm doing this

Today marks the last day of my first year of dental school. I'm wiped out mentally and physically, but I'm happy to report that I survived. Along the way I was even voted president of my class, which seems kind of high school-ish but is an honor nonetheless. Already I've had to deal with a cheating scandal and some financial issues, but I think it's going to be a fun position to hold next year.

Having spent the last few weeks staying up late to study and working over-time in the pre-clinic making a gold crown (we had to do everything, from prepping the tooth to carving the shape of the new crown out of wax to melting the gold with an acetylene torch and then injecting it into the casting), I'm definitely ready for some time off. My first order of business: tune up the bike and go for a long ride. Then I'm going to make some reservations for our upcoming trip to Costa Rica or else we'll be sleeping on the beach every night.

It's a little daunting to think that this time next year I will be working on my first patients. Plastic mannequins don't have nerve endings or blood vessels. They don't care if my elbow smashes into their eye or my bur accidentally digs into their lip. They also don't have high blood pressure or diabetes, and they aren't taking any medications that react adversely to anesthesia. But even though I have a long way to go and a lot to learn, this person's story helps remind me why I'm so excited to be in dental school, and why ultimately I want to go into oral surgery:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zollo/2460682776/