TinyD likes to kick.  At least I think that’s what’s going on.  Either that, or I’m gassy, and just in the region of my uterus.  Pretty sure that I’ve been feeling some movement/kicking for about 2 weeks, but I wasn’t sure what it was at first.  Now it’s getting more noticeable by the day.  Occasionally, if I have my hand resting on my belly, I can feel the kick push it outward.  Very neat.  Can’t wait to try having Travis talk to my belly and see if he gets kicked. 

Would be Miami international airport.  There’s a distinct lack of signs.  Usually when you get off the plane, there’s some sort of clue for which direction to go to find bag claim/exit.  Not so.  Checking in to leave is also a challenge, at least for American Airlines.  Multiple lines, check-in kiosks everywhere, and lack of signage, so that people are constantly switching lines from the international check-in, to domestic check-in, to domestic w/o bags kiosk.  I think the airport terminal is just a bit small for the traffic they get, with this being a major departure point for cruise ships and travel to South America.  There’s a distinct lack of bathrooms before passing through security, and some of the bathrooms are behind security barriers. ?Maybe the TSA has appropriated them for security reasons?  Ah yes, as Travis reminded me, the Miami airport is is also where I got food poisoning at the end of a previous trip.  Looks like trail mix and starburst for lunch

Miami, Florida is a nice place.  Particularly when compared to B’more at this moment in time. It’s 80 and the sun is shining with blue sky.  It seems like it’s been so long since I’ve seen the sun, I get all squinty when I go outside.

I’m here for a work conference, which has been pretty inspiring.  It’s all about establishing a career in academic medicine – i.e. how to do good research, publish papers, get grants, teach, and take care of patients.  Not intended for people who want to do private practice, which is patient care only.  The big $$$ is in private practice – these are the docs who golf at the country club and drive BMWs (some of them anyway).  My favorite phrase that gets used to describe private practice is ‘you eat what you kill’.  Sounds morbid, but it means you only make money for the patients you see.  So vacation = no income that week.  Academics doesn’t pay as well, but comes with other perks like variety, the opportunity to teach, adding to the greater body of research knowledge about the GI tract, and possibly national or international recognition as an ‘expert’.  Also there’s travel to nifty locations like Miami and Germany that comes with academics. 

So there’s clearly a need for smart docs in both academics and private practice, but for now, I’m sticking with the academics route. 

One last Germany story.  Promise.  The only US newspaper available in Mainz was USA today.  I use the term ‘newspaper’ rather loosely.  It was a 20 page version of USA today, kind of a hybrid of the front page and international section.  Asking price 2 euros.  Seems pretty pricy for a paper that’s main circulation is b/c it’s given away free at hotels.  I elected for a news holiday instead.