Improv Everywhere

Now I've mentioned the fun-loving urban prankster group Improv Everywhere before, but the mastermind just released a new book about his pranks (or "missions"). He was on the Today Show recently promoting it. And yes, this man is still my hero.

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This was their latest prank: a random wedding reception for a couple married at City Hall!

Wonders of Craigslist

Sarah started her residency training this week at Jefferson Hospital.  Fortunately for us, we only live about a 1.3 miles away from the main location.  She's been biking to the training and hopes to bike to most of her rotations.  Since her bike is her main form of transportation, we're doing our best to keep it in top condition.

On Tuesday, however, her tires were low.  We grabbed the carlighter compressor we keep in my trunk and tried filling up the tires.  Part of the way through, the compressor died!  We resorted to the hand pump we kept upstairs, but there were a few parts missing.  Where did we turn to next?  Craigslist.

I searched for air compressor and found one for only $10.  The only catch was that it was listed in the "South Jersey" area instead of near us.  When I called the woman, she asked where we live.  I told her near the Art Museum, and to my surprise, she said she'd drop it off at our house that night!  So, not only did we get an air compressor for our bikes that evening for a great price, it was delivered to us for no extra charge!  We were both thrilled.

In the spirit of this post, here's Weird Al's new song (courtesy of the Doors) called Craigslist:

Summer job

After school ends on June 12, I will be giving walking tours of Philadelphia!  My friend Libby is starting a company called Old Original Walking Tours.  We were even listed in Frommer's Tourbook!  Should be a fun way to spend the summer. 

Eric's graduation

Last week Sunday, Sarah hosted a graduation party for me! I had finished my coursework in September and received confirmation that I had graduated in January, but my diploma only arrived a few weeks ago. Our sister Elizabeth Gardner was staying with us for the weekend (she was presenting some of her research work for her masters degree in rheteric at a communications conference in Philly). Between the three of us, we put together a pretty nice graduation ceremony! It reminded me of my high school/homeschool graduation in that it was intimate, we designed the whole ceremony, it was meaningful, and graduates helped provide the music.

The weather was just stunning. We held it on our roofdeck on Sunday morning before church. A refreshing breakfast reception followed in our apartment. Personally, it provided a good deal of closure for my degree. Before, I had felt like graduating was somewhat anti-climatic, but this ceremony made it feel like I had accomplished a goal. Thanks to all those who came to support me!

Here's a video I spliced together from pictures and movies from the event:

April Fools

I just love the fact that every April Fools Day, Google does something crazy on their homepage.  I look forward to it annually!  This year, it's CADIE and Gmail Autopilot.  Other websites get into the fun too: Expedia says you can book a trip to mars.  Hotels.com lets you rent a room on the moon. 

This begs the question...what did YOU do for April Fools Day today???

The Match

Thursday I had the privilege of observing an event that was unlike any other I think I'll ever witness: 255 people finding out the next 3-5 years of their life...at the exact same time. As you could imagine, there was a great deal of nervous energy in the room. Parents, significant others, and doctors crammed into the lecture hall at Jefferson's new building at 11AM for the match ceremony. (Spruce Hill let me leave school to attend the event with Sarah, for which I was quite thankful)

From 11-11:50, all the med students were talking with their friends, taking pictures, and filling out end-of-the-year surveys. At 11:50, the dean went to the podium and asked everyone to return to their seats. He asked all family members and friends (excluding spouses, thankfull!) to leave the room and close the doors behind them! After several minutes of comments and thanking folks for their work, he introduced the new dean of students. This dean congratulated everyone and told the doctors to pass out the envelopes. (it was a little strange since the doctors had the envelopes the entire hour we were there, but they weren't allowed to pass them out)

Sarah accepted her envelope, then we scurried down to the front to meet our friends Krista, Will, and Michelle. Thankfully, they all got their first choices! I'll let the pictures tell the story:

Some folks weren't as fortunate. Sarah picked Jefferson because they have one of the best family medicine programs on the east coast. While she couldn't believe they picked her, I was very proud to see her be affirmed professionally. I'd pick her as my top choice too!!! Actually, I already did...

The rest of the day was filled with Jefferson parties. I had to return to school for parent/teacher conferences, but I was able to catch up with the rest of the crew in time to watch Michigan win their first NCAA tournament game in over 10 years! Our home group took us out for dinner the following night to celebrate. It was a great reminder why we believe that our time in Philadelphia isn't finished. Thank you all for your concern and prayers for us. Please keep them coming! Who knows what the next three years will bring?!?

The next three years of our lives (aka Match Day)

In exactly a week (March 19), medical schools across the country will have "The Match"--a term used to describe the day graduating medical students are matched with a residency program. At high noon, every medical student will receive an envelope with the next 3-5 years of his/her life inside. For family medicine residency students like Sarah, this means her next three years will be spent in a specific residency program. She ranks her top programs, and programs rank their top students. If Sarah's top choice lists her as a potential resident, she matches and is assigned to their program. If her top choice does not list her, the computer system looks at her second choice, so on and so forth.

What's nice (and stressful) about the process is that we ultimately don't make the final decision--that's up to God and the program reps with whom Sarah interviewed. We believe God is using us in our Philadelphia community and isn't ready for us to leave this city of brotherly love just yet, so we ranked the Philly programs as the first few, followed by University of Michigan and Virginia. Plus, the programs Sarah applied to in Philly are some of the best around in family medicine training. (we heard some strange statistic that one in every six doctors does some training in the Philadelphia area!?!)

Anyway, we would appreciate your prayers as the day approaches. I'll be sure to post an update Thursday afternoon!