Weekend Review: Ready Player One, Painting, & The Magicians

This past week was my last one on head and neck cancer, which is a little sad. I'd been enjoying the rotation and had been on it forever (well, since January...but that's still a long time in resident-years). Tomorrow I switch to another site; back to square one. I was on call this weekend, so don't have anything very interesting to report about life otherwise :S Here are a few highlights from the past seven days:

1. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline -- This book is the reason my physics assignment and rounds Powerpoint are still not done... I definitely recommend it (though not if you have work piled up :S). It's set on a dystopian Earth in the year 2044 where people spend their lives immersed in OASIS, a Second Life-like virtual reality. The whole world is engaged in a high-stakes hunt for an Easter Egg, hidden within the game. I know, I'm making it sound über dorky, but you really don't need to be a sci fi fan or gamer to love the story. It's just so suspenseful and interesting, and the characters are so well-developed and likeable, that you'll get right into the story within the first few pages.

   

   read it!

2. potluck -- I just so happened to be on the right ward at the right time last night to be invited to a multicultural potluck that the nurses had organized. I felt bad not contributing anything but they were so kind and made me try some of everything...which I sadly couldn't even manage because there was just way too much food.

   

   just some of the homemade deliciousness

3. gummy bear cake -- April is a birthday-filled month in my residency program, which is excellent because cake. This Marble Slab Creamery funfetti ice cream cake had gummy bears embedded within it. It doesn't get much better than that. I was too preoccupied with eating it to take a photo, so here's a rather melty one after the fact...

   

   mmmm

4. DIY painting -- Inspired by Virginia's post this week (btw everything she does is amazing; see for yourself), I stopped by the dollar store on my way home from the hospital today to pick up a few painting supplies. I'm happy enough with how things turned out, but then again abstract art is pretty forgiving.

   

   Will post on the outcome of this soon! Waiting for natural light to hopefully help it photograph a little better :)

5. The Magicians -- I discovered this series today, while looking for something to watch on the elliptical. I'd read the first book in the series a while ago and though I'm not sure how I feel yet about the TV adaptation, it makes for good enough exercising entertainment.

   

   I honestly can't exercise without TV or a book. Elliptical = so boring.