Score!

I was on call 24 hours yesterday, and it was perfect. I was on with Abe, who's a friend and other 2nd-year resident (if I'm on with an intern I have to see the patient with them, which is a time-suck), and it was a quiet morning. Then we worked steadily from about 11am to 8pm, with a break here and there for lunch and for me to run out and get coffee. Then I sent my friend home to cuddle with his new baby, and had a few more minor issues that kept me up till 10:30pm... and then I went to sleep and didn't wake up till 6am, when I awoke spontaneously! Even then, I thought that the staff might have one or two patients that came in at 5am and that they were still processing... but no! The ER was empty. So I went to Starbucks, the only coffee shop in that area open at 6am, and had myself some coffee and a bagel, and read The Economist, and had myself a real civilized morning.

There is NO gift greater than having an easy call night. I have had an unprecedented number of hours of sleep on call, this night and the last time I was on (a couple of weeks ago). The gift is, the time you thought you'd be dragging yourself home and getting some much-needed sleep is now suddenly wide open.

So I did laundry and read some neurology (my next rotation) and went to the gym, and meanwhile Dean made pumpkin pies... yum.