Washing the California stink off of me

I've neglected posting here the past few weeks.  First, I was packing up my stuff in Cali, and had no internet.  Now that I've made the drive to Colorado, I've been slowly putting a dent in unpacking my boxes. It's really hard to unpack when you're unpacking about 700 square feet of stuff into a 500 square foot apartment!  I haven't even unpacked my Kitchenaid mixer, and I'm 99% sure I have nowhere in my kitchen to fit it.  Anyway, it's taken me so long to update, because I've been spending what feels like every free moment hanging out with the people I missed like crazy, and this is the first time I've had to sit down and write.  

I've only done one car, but I just got Colorado plates on my vibe, and damn, does it feel good to get those Cali plates off.  There's always been a palpable hostility towards California here (and Texas), due to getting tons of people immigrating from those states and contributing to the urban sprawl/mcmansion problem we have.  I wasn't really comfortable getting stereotyped into that group because of identifiable plates, so it feels good to have the car "clean," so to speak.  I also got pawprint plates!  I was supposed to get spay/neuter plates in Cali, but they needed a minimum order for the run before they could issue them, and I left too early to get them.  So now I have plates from a better state, with better artwork on them.  

Doesn't the California plate look like the dog is melting, or has a chromosome missing or something?  

One plus side of hitting up the DMV today, is that it's super close to Garden of the Gods.  Sure, I wasn't prepared to go hiking - I was wearing a dress, my cell battery was almost dead, and didn't have a water bottle, but who can resist on such a beautiful day?  

Having that in my backyard is exactly why I've spent the past 3 years homesick like crazy.  

It's weird being back though.  Random businesses have changed, entire buildings have been erected or demolished, urban sprawl has gotten worse.  But the differences between here and Pomona are stark.  Pomona has a doughnut shop on every corner, the springs has either a tattoo studio or a church.  Too damn many churches everywhere.  And the number of tattoo shops seems to have doubled since I left - precisely the reason why I had to quit piercing - way too much competition to be able to make it charging full price for top quality work.  It's out of control now.  

I do have some amazing news though.  I stopped by my old clinic, and was greeted with "hurry up and graduate so you can start working here!"  I was also informed that since the property may get taken by the city by eminent domain in the next few years, that the owner's looking for a new place - and since I'll be owning it someday, my input is wanted.  :)  I've also been given the open offer to work there during my gaps between clinical rotations, do exams, and work up cases.  Eeeee!

I start my emergency rotation next week in Ft. Collins.  I'm extra excited and terrified.  Terrified, because I hate navigating large institutions, and I'm always convinced I'll get lost, and because even with as much preparation I've been trying to do, I don't feel like I know enough.  (Which, I honestly don't and never will.  It keeps me constantly reading and bettering myself.)  However, I love emergency, and I get to stay with family that I haven't seen in far too long, so I'm excited about that.  Fingers crossed.  (And as always, if I write about 3rd and 4th year stuff, since so much of it involves clients/patients, details will be either fudged or left out completely.) 

Anyway, that's the super-quick past couple weeks in a nutshell.  I don't know what my hours will be like in Ft. Collins, so updates may continue to be sporadic.