I always think of my glass as 3/4 full (not just half), so the good news first. I am over halfway done! Yea!
So, next for the bad news. And since my glass is 3/4 full, it's not really that bad. Despite mentioning before that I definitely do not have time to be bored despite my worries, each day is starting to feel like groundhog day for me as it did for Bill Murray in the movie.
Let me take you on a pictorial of my day(s).
First, like Bill Murray, I wake up to the sound of my alarm at 4:16am. Why 4:16 you might ask? Don't know. It just seemed like a good time to get up and I have stuck with it. Admittedly, since I usually go to bed around 8pm, I occasionally wake up at about 4am and just turn off my alarm. First stop, like a good Butler, the bathroom of course. Only mine looks different than yours!
Next it is off to the gym for my first of many workouts today. Usually I will start with the weight gym for a couple hours or so, including some P90X and maybe a little cardio as well.
Next, my favorite! Time for breakfast as the DFAC (or "dining facility"). I love breakfast here. It has become my favorite meal and I look forward to it every morning. They have omelets and eggs to order, with a whole line of fixings you can put in. I started with just using one of the cups they have available for fixings. With the great variety of yummy fixings (turkey, ham, cheese, onions, peppers, tomatoes, green chiles, and mushrooms), I soon graduated to two cups and now I use two cups and still fill some of my plate up with the fixings as well. You can see the before and after pictures of how it starts on my plate and how it ends up after mixing!
After enjoying my breakfast (thanks to my family for sending me tortillas to create a breakfast burrito), then it is back to the gym for some cardio. Cardio before and after every meal!
Next it is off to my room to change (or change and repeat use of porta john after drinking 2 bottles of water during my workouts, 2 cups of coffee and one box of milk with breakfast, and one diet coke on the way back to my room) prior to going to the hospital for some teaching and/or training and answering emails. Here teaching an Iraqi medic how to perform a cric (inserting a breathing tube through an incision made in the neck). This teaching/training also includes patient scenarios to make sure that we are ready to perform our primary function if/when patients come in!
Now it is off to the gym again for pre and post meal cardio workouts. Every day. Same gym, same day, same elliptical trainer in front of the A/C unit. I do get in a lot of reading, though, during my 3-4 hours on the elliptical every day! Lunch in between workouts in the DFAC. Healthy lunch, consisting usually of a breadless turkey sandwich (turkey and tomatoes sandwiched between two pieces of swiss cheese) plus/minus some veggies and/or soup.
Back to the gym to complete my post meal workout and reading.
Then it is back to my room to answer emails and a post workout/meal nap.
What's next you might ask? Remember, it IS groundhog day. So...…….. repeat the above of course! Back to the gym for cardio pre and post dinner. It might be spin or it might be yoga X, so I guess that is some variety :)!
Dinner at the DFAC. My second favorite meal. Although they have 7 different meals, it is the same every week (Curry, Italian, Mexican, Mongolian grill, Middle eastern/Balkan, Chinese, steak/crab legs). My favorite is the Mongolian grill, but it takes forever for them to make it to order while you wait. Here is some of the Chinese food. Radio in case we get a patient coming in (carried everywhere but shower).
After dinner, the gym of course for some more cardio and reading! Then it is back to my room to get ready for bed. Off to the shower (trailer) first, though. I definitely need one by now, before I even think of getting under the covers. The nap is on top of my blanket while all sweaty.
Then, maybe answer a couple of emails, read a little, and off to bed (see above/nap for pics). There you have it. Groundhog day in a nutshell through pictures. No time for boredom for sure. But over halfway done!
So, next for the bad news. And since my glass is 3/4 full, it's not really that bad. Despite mentioning before that I definitely do not have time to be bored despite my worries, each day is starting to feel like groundhog day for me as it did for Bill Murray in the movie.
Let me take you on a pictorial of my day(s).
First, like Bill Murray, I wake up to the sound of my alarm at 4:16am. Why 4:16 you might ask? Don't know. It just seemed like a good time to get up and I have stuck with it. Admittedly, since I usually go to bed around 8pm, I occasionally wake up at about 4am and just turn off my alarm. First stop, like a good Butler, the bathroom of course. Only mine looks different than yours!
Next it is off to the gym for my first of many workouts today. Usually I will start with the weight gym for a couple hours or so, including some P90X and maybe a little cardio as well.
Next, my favorite! Time for breakfast as the DFAC (or "dining facility"). I love breakfast here. It has become my favorite meal and I look forward to it every morning. They have omelets and eggs to order, with a whole line of fixings you can put in. I started with just using one of the cups they have available for fixings. With the great variety of yummy fixings (turkey, ham, cheese, onions, peppers, tomatoes, green chiles, and mushrooms), I soon graduated to two cups and now I use two cups and still fill some of my plate up with the fixings as well. You can see the before and after pictures of how it starts on my plate and how it ends up after mixing!
After enjoying my breakfast (thanks to my family for sending me tortillas to create a breakfast burrito), then it is back to the gym for some cardio. Cardio before and after every meal!
Next it is off to my room to change (or change and repeat use of porta john after drinking 2 bottles of water during my workouts, 2 cups of coffee and one box of milk with breakfast, and one diet coke on the way back to my room) prior to going to the hospital for some teaching and/or training and answering emails. Here teaching an Iraqi medic how to perform a cric (inserting a breathing tube through an incision made in the neck). This teaching/training also includes patient scenarios to make sure that we are ready to perform our primary function if/when patients come in!
Now it is off to the gym again for pre and post meal cardio workouts. Every day. Same gym, same day, same elliptical trainer in front of the A/C unit. I do get in a lot of reading, though, during my 3-4 hours on the elliptical every day! Lunch in between workouts in the DFAC. Healthy lunch, consisting usually of a breadless turkey sandwich (turkey and tomatoes sandwiched between two pieces of swiss cheese) plus/minus some veggies and/or soup.
Back to the gym to complete my post meal workout and reading.
Then it is back to my room to answer emails and a post workout/meal nap.
What's next you might ask? Remember, it IS groundhog day. So...…….. repeat the above of course! Back to the gym for cardio pre and post dinner. It might be spin or it might be yoga X, so I guess that is some variety :)!
Dinner at the DFAC. My second favorite meal. Although they have 7 different meals, it is the same every week (Curry, Italian, Mexican, Mongolian grill, Middle eastern/Balkan, Chinese, steak/crab legs). My favorite is the Mongolian grill, but it takes forever for them to make it to order while you wait. Here is some of the Chinese food. Radio in case we get a patient coming in (carried everywhere but shower).
After dinner, the gym of course for some more cardio and reading! Then it is back to my room to get ready for bed. Off to the shower (trailer) first, though. I definitely need one by now, before I even think of getting under the covers. The nap is on top of my blanket while all sweaty.
Then, maybe answer a couple of emails, read a little, and off to bed (see above/nap for pics). There you have it. Groundhog day in a nutshell through pictures. No time for boredom for sure. But over halfway done!
