While I was away from the house all day yesterday, NB had the day off from work. She said she was going to straighten up her part of the house after traveling and becoming disorganized but she instead made this amazing collage as a gift for J and J. It looks just like them.
I went to a pediatric conference given by Children's Hospital. I first started going to these conferences as a graduate student, when they were free. Upon getting my first job as an NP I told everyone about this amazing deal. There was a dazzling array of speakers and topics, free CEU's and free lunch at a fancy hotel. Now they charge $75. but it's still a bargain.
Because of teaching on Wednesdays for several years, I was not able to attend these biannual conferences because they are always given on a Wed. I did PREP instead for CEU's which is a solitary endeavor. My friends and co-workers went off to these conferences when I could not, but yesterday I was able to pick up where I left off. As I was leaving I told Papa J," None of my friends are going. I'll have to eat lunch by myself." He said, " You are going to meet up with loads of friends as soon as you get there." He was correct.
No sooner than I had gotten out of my car than I saw MaryBeth who was a mentor of mine while I was a student. She had come by herself as well and we sat together. I did not like the pediatric practice where she worked (very famous one in Longwood area) when I was a student but it was a special privilege to be assigned there because of its prestigious reputation. Mary Beth has long since left there but it was a dilemma for me at the time to have to spend my clinical days in such an upscale practice. I found myself another place to go, Dimock Community Health Center, which was a very rustic place in those days. I also found myself a preceptorship at Mass Hospital School and so had three varied settings in which to learn what it was all about.
Then Dr. K showed up at the conference, and Dr. S-B was there as well. The first presenter, who talked about autism and services in MA was someone who I had worked with when she was a fellow. Then as I was exiting the large room for a break, I met up with my old head nurse, and she told me that all my dear colleagues from NWH were there too. I went out to where they were standing around in a circle and joined them. I quietly said, "Does anyone know who I am?" There was lots of laughter and hugs. We had worked together for a long time, and they were another part of the group who I had met for dinner a couple of weeks ago. We now have plans to enlarge our dinner group.
I knew many other people at the conference. Boston is a small city in many respects, and the pediatric world is a microcosm. Dr. Earle was there! The presenters were all brilliant and well prepared. It is so revitalizing to hear experts talk about subjects and research that they love. Genetics is still the story of the hour as they seek out answers for understanding and treating conditions which up until recently could only be approached in a palliative way.
The upcoming physicians in the family are presenters already and will soon be experts in things I don't understand. It's called progress. The words you use for describing parts of the genome and its markers for diseases are totally above my head.
On another note, the Yankees winning the World Series was the culmination of a beautiful baseball season. They have been great.
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