February 21, 2026

by Dr. Plastic Picker

It’s Saturday and I worked the late shift last night. The late shift is not as late as it used to be, and many many years ago when I was Assistant Boss – I had a large part to do with improving our schedules. Now I’m lucky to benefit from those changes. I’m in the trenches and a worker-bee now. I’m happy, and I’m content. I had an emotional outburst in the lunchroom, venting some of my pent-up frustrations being a woman leader. Baking brownies, organizing parties, mentoring when you aren’t ready, endless committees that are not of your choosing – these are the pitfalls that many young women fall into at the cost of their own professional development and their own personal lives. Burn-out is very real, and even now during the premedical process and the medical school and residency training process – it’s a very real threat to our profession.

I think about burnout and professional development a lot. I’m lucky to mentor and be surrounded by these amazing idealistic young premedical, medical students and trainees. I worry about them. I worry about their mental health. I worry about their future. I worry about our profession. I worry about our country and of course I worry about the climate.

But in general I worry a lot less than before. I’m very present these days in clinic, and enjoy the flow of patients that come and go from our hallway. Life seems to ebb and flow smoothly these days, despite doing a lot of climate and health organizing. I’m still almost full time in clinic. But I closed all my charts yesterday and mostly answered all my messages and did my results! If you are an actual physician, you know how wonderful that feels.

But I think what I’m most grateful for is the next 10 years. I get to be a pediatrician for 10 more years. After having been in the same office for almost 16-17 years, that is another 10 years of getting to watch kids grow up. I get to be involved in the community and with children, and try to keep them safe and healthy. It’s such an honor to see a child at their last visit after they have almost reached or just passed 18 years of age, and gently remind them “make good choices! I am so lucky to have been your pediatrician.” That last hug with their parents in the hallway, and with their last sticker in hand – is the best hug ever.

And that’s the greatest gift that being drplasticpicker has given me.

February 20, 2026

by Dr. Plastic Picker

The talks were deployed! It was our first time giving a talk on environmental health at UC San Diego Rady’s Pediatric Residency. This is during their new advocacy elective. I’m grateful for this opportunity to deliver the talks and give four new opportunities to students to present their projects, and to deploy a new partnership /project with the San Diego Air Pollution Control District. Probably the most important thing that happened is that I was able to connect the Office of Environmental Justice at SDAPCD. After two joint talks, our partnership is solid now and the students have been introduced. We also met two new individuals that are important for us to grow our organization. Anna Northrup a new Ms4 from UC San Diego School of Medicine, interested in pediatrics, and also going to head a project with NRDC on Nitrogen fertilizer legislation. And then a talented young freshmen Jaime from UCSD who is also from the an environmental justice neighborhood in San Diego. It’s critically important to mentor students who reside in the neighborhoods that we are trying to protect. I learned this concept called academic extractivism from my good friend Dr. Elizabeth Friedman. Academic extractivism is bad. Mentoring students from EJ neighborhoods is good.

All in all, it was worthwhile. The talks did not go perfect. The first talk went fantastic and it had that amazing energy and connections. The second talk, we were able to really meet our new partners and discuss projects, but it was 3-4 very tired residents in the afternoon who were set on leaving on time. I think this is why it’s hard to loop in residents into this work, as they are overtired. You have to find the right one! But we met a lot of new friends during the two talks and it was something I needed to do.

I was actually very impressed with the growth of the student presentations. The students get better and better, as they practice. One of our students Wooch Kim is working on a new line of thought on pediatric oncology and climate resilience. The growth from the first to second talk was remarkable. The powerpoint slides were improved and eye catchy, and definitely had an artistic unity to it. Eleanor Jung one of my more experienced students is always flawless in her presentations. And the third student that presented, Justin Buchanan, it was fun to get to interact with him and watch him learn a new skillset. Sometimes when you have been doing one thing so long and you are good at it, you don’t grow as much. And it’s fun to see more experienced students realize that new skillsets are interesting and challenging and fun.

No matter what, the two talks were memorable. I’ll always remember the rain yesterday, going from light showers to drizzle. I’ll remember wanting to tell the students nonsense gossip but not able to, because I had to go pick up our daughter from school earlier than planned. In the end, we were all able to fit this in. We prepared and delivered, and it got done.

Climate work like this is very forgiving, because is our team had not shown up – it would not have happened. The 2nd audience and talk was a bit frustrating, because so much preparation went into the talks and planning and coordination to get all the people there. And sometimes it felt like we were speaking to ourselves. But it’s hard to be a resident in the middle of training. They have a lot of ICU rotations and overtired.

Just wanted to share some of my emotional journey and share some of the process and feelings of disappointment and exhaustion – as this was a new challenge I took upon myself. But it was done! and I’m done with climate work for today! Going to work the late shift tonight and just have 1 meeting at 10am with Scripps Oceanographic Institute So Cal Heat Hub to coordinate their talk at H3SD.

Thank you for following along this eco-activism and climate and health journey of mine.

February 12, 2026

by Dr. Plastic Picker

I’m up finally blogging and working on my own brain health. I have to write an important letter of recommendation this morning for one of my most favorite people in the world. She needs a real job that pays real money and she’s going to do real work. It’s important to understand money and finances, and the reality of life. Mr. Plastic Picker and I have been together almost 30 years now, and having the same familial values and also financial values is very important. We are a good team.

But as I wrote a draft of a letter for her last night, I realized it was complete gibberish and I stopped. Writing late at night doesn’t really work for me. My thoughts are garbled and my thinking is not clear. So I finally took care of myself and turned off my netflix (I’m been binge watching C-dramas these days) and went to sleep at a semi-normal time. And now my mind is clear, and I’m going to write that letter that needs to be submitted today.

But something I realized after thinking of the recent meetings I’ve been at. I attended my first SD Shade Cool Council meeting which was super cool. I was invited as one of 20 regional leaders as part of the H3Sd organizing committee. I realized that we are truly at the climate mitigation and climate adaptation stage. This is very scary and horrifying.

They shared with me the up to date power point which I’ve shared with climate and health friends, and will continue to share. We are happily starting to organize for H3SD 2026 now, and that is hopeful and happening. I have to set up the San Diego Foundation meeting to ensure funding for the summit, as they give us a grant for food. I’ve been invited to be a co-author for the San Diego State University Healthy Air Healthy Water research paper, and I’m so honored. But all of this is because, at this moment in time – the world needs all of us. Every tenth of a degree counts. There are massive climate migrations and shifting ecosystems. It’s completely horrifying that we’ve gotten here, and fossil fuel companies and AI aficianados are still trying to pump more carbon into the atmosphere and drain more of our water resources.

I’m going to write that letter now. But I wanted to let you know. We are at climate adaptation and climate mitigation, and the presentation from the UCSD Scripps So Cal Heat Hub made this starkly obvious.

Come to our summit and help out! We are still trying to save the world, but it just got scarier and more real.

February 2, 2026

by Dr. Plastic Picker

I think I may have used this picture in the last blogpost? I’m back here on the blog and actually on my old computer that is mostly broken. I still haven’t figured out how to log onto the blog from my new computer? I’m old and technology is still very challenging for me. But I’m here because the blog has always been my emotional diary to share my plastic picking journey!

I went to the beach this weekend and had a great adventure picking up trash along the beach. It was mostly styrofoam bits which are so interesting when they are weathered as they become this intense dirty yellow/gold color. It’s hard to spot if you aren’t an experienced plastic picker! Styrofoam isn’t plastic but I still pick up non-plastic things.

This really did all start with picking up trash, and now 7 years later I’ve been offered a faculty position at our HMO medical school! I’m really excited about it since it really will help me figure out how to extend our work on climate and health. Titles are super important, and whatever title they give me from HMO medical school will be enough! I’ll still be doing clinical work mostly, but now will mentor officially at the medical school and teach during their climate and health course which is every April. Our youngest is off to college, and I’ll have more time and probably use my educational leave time to go up there to teach.

Mr. Plastic Picker is now Chief of his department too! It’s funny how all of this happened around the same time. Our youngest has about 45 days until she finds out which of the 26 schools she applied to, will be her college home for 4 years. Honestly, being her mother has been so easy especially now that she’s 17 years of age and a self sufficient teenager. When she’s off to college next year, I need to keep busy and teaching students and meeting new people and doing new projects is always fun!

It’s so funny though. When I came to our HMO over 16 years ago, I actually didn’t want a full time job. I wanted a part time position and to be home with the kids. I had two little ones back then, and it was physically painful for me to be away from them. I was like every other mother I’ve ever met, I wanted to be with my babies. But having trained so long to be a pediatrician and the family and community that surrounded me, I was pushed into full time work. With the ebbs and flows of being a working mother, and the turmoil of feeling like I didn’t have a choice back then – I am now grateful. I am grateful that I chose my children and the earth 7 years ago, and left middle management and decided that every day I had left was important. I’m not sure what I would tell the young me from 16 years ago. I’m not sure if I would ever get along with her. But I would certainly admire her and cheer her on. I think she would cheer the current me on too.

Having a cheerleading squad, those that fundamentally believe in you is so important. I had one person that I admire not cheer me on, and actually questioned if I was qualified to teach climate and health. I admire this person and I realize it comes from their own insecurities. But it really hurt. The emotions and pettiness are all very real. And climate and health physicians have their own egos.

But I told the ones that I know are cheerleading the collective us on, and it felt good to reconnect with them and let them know my good news.

That’s it! I’m not posting or writing as much about the kids because they are adults or almost adults. It’s to give them privacy and as my son said “stay out of their business” to let them decide their lives. It’s been so fun to continue to be their mother, and to get to know all the fun details!

I’m continually grateful to my cute college boyfriend now husband. We had our happy ending, and now we are trying to make sure our kids get to have their happy ending (and other children out there too) by working toward a better world and saving as much of our climate/environment as possible.

Wow! It’s Monday and I’m working the staggered shift today! It ends at 730 though so it’s not bad.

January 25, 2026

by Dr. Plastic Picker

It was such a wonderful evening. Mr. Plastic Picker (who is also a doctor) is now Chief of his department. I’m no longer Assistant Boss, for the last four years or has it been five? It was a valuable experience despite the burnout because I understand what Mr. Plastic Picker’s journey has been. It’s much easier being the supportive spouse than having to be actually in charge. I did my time in admin, over 5 years leading our large clinic and another 5 years as Assistant Boss. And now I’m happily a front-line clinical pediatrician taking care of my little patients and doing the projects that interest me.

But yesterday was his night. I wore one of my nicer dresses, nothing too fancy. Wore nice boots and a little bit more make-up. And I just smiled and shook hands, and followed him around the party venue like a puppy. This was the role I am used to in our relationship, and I don’t make apologies for it. It’s fun to follow him around and just try to be there for him. At my own work place, I’m like an energizer bunny at times with large swings of emotion. But once in a while, it’s good to be a more supportive character. It’s actually much easier on the nervous system.

So I got to observe all the dynamics of his department, the other doctors, the staff, the managers as a background character. I noticed things more. The firepit. The beautiful scenery. The dresses and the dance moves. I recorded. I photographed. I watched him do his leadership thing, knowing he looked very calm but underneath I could feel his nerves. He asked me to be there for him. He asked me specifically to remember to put it on my calendar. And I’m glad I was there and I think it made the evening nicer for him.

He and I get our happy ending everyday.

January 19, 2026

by Dr. Plastic Picker

I’m really excited about this project that has been on my mind for years now. It’s been meandering and developing in my brain as I’ve been wandering around doing climate and environmental health work. Everything I do – I do volunteer, and I use my own money to fund most of the little projects we do. I almost left medicine during burnout, so I figure since I’m happy now and still adding to the family finances – I have $20-$30K a year to play around with. That’s how this all stays fun. I usually use about $20K a year and Mr. Plastic Picker is okay with that. We have always had a savings rate of over 50% of our earnings, as we live mostly simply (other than private school and buying the oregon farm) and invest all of our remaining money in real estate and stocks and savings and all that stuff. We are two physicians so high earning couple, that actually loves our vocation and I honestly have been working most of my life since I was 8 years old. But because we care about patients and our own families, we care about the earth. Money is not worth much if the world burns (which it is).

Anyway, I’m no longer a personal finance blogger but I always think of things in terms of the most efficient use of my time and money – to try to make an impact! And this whole thing has to be fun. If it’s not fun, than unless it’s fighting with the mayor of Irvine and some not to be named meanie pediatricians in OC regarding OCPA (which was hugely important for the climate movement) – than I won’t do it.

This project is FUN!!! I get to work with my own son who has the connections and skill set necessary to get it done. I get to finally get a meaningful project to two young teenagers who have been doing climate work with me for over 7 years now! They are my patients and have shown up to so many events! I get to continue to work with the San Diego Bird Alliance, who are my close climate friends. I love shorebirds and I love the San Diego Bird Alliance, because they are all super nice people! So we are going to work on prescribing birding!

I don’t want to let out all the details but it’s a fun idea and innovative. And 100% it will involve fun people and be able to be written up in a poster and abstract and paper!

Oh! If you are around, come to I Love Your Wetlands Day. You have to register! And we’ll be presenting the project to share ideas with folks. But you have to come to the wetlands because we have to protect the wetlands for the children, the birds, and for clean air and clean water! It’s always been about the wetlands!

January 11, 2026

by Dr. Plastic Picker

One of my best climate friends just texted me and asked for our daughter’s advice on her bread. We hadn’t texted in a while, since she’s going through some things and I’ve been pulling back on some climate projects this year to give our daughter my full attention during college application season. She’s our last child out of two, and after taking care of so many other people’s children and also mentoring so many students – I’m being 100% selfish and just enjoying this application season with her as she lives the heartache and hopefully joy as she finds out where she’ll end up. I texted my friend that our youngest can’t render advice this morning on my friend’s bread, because she has her Georgetown interview. Georgetown interviews everyone which my friend does not know, since she does not have a college-applicant child this cycle. So my friend was impressed. My friend loves my child, and my child loves and respects my friend. It’s a real relationship that has come from my weird circuitous path of climate work.

Georgetown is just one of 26 schools she has applied to. And I am like every parent, so incredibly proud of how she’s conducted herself and worked so hard during her entire high school career. She’s had her nose to the grind, keeping up top marks and leading her clubs/teams at school. She’s shown up for the underclassmen, making sure she shows up to coach the younger students and hosting team-building events. She’s mostly not been able to participate in the social whirl, because after being deferred from her early action school (which shook our over-Ivy League educated household) – every one of her remaining schools that she is applying to has become even more precious to her. Like every parent, her father and I keep on musing to ourselves – she could not have worked harder. She could not have prepared more. She absolutely could not have had higher SAT, AP scores or GPA – and still retained her sanity. She is a far superior student than both of us, which is saying a lot since we were obviously good students.

What I’m most grateful for, is that she’s been so happy during this application cycle. She’s been up late at night, refining short answer questions. She’s used all the resources we’ve made available to her, and appreciates those resources. Her father has probably over-caffeinated her with Starbucks throughout this cycle. He’s been up late at night, sitting on the side of her bed helping her refine thoughts and been a sounding board for her. I probably will miss that the most. He’s been so incredibly proud of her, and admires what she has done and how she is intellectually. I’ve been there mostly cheering her on, and been there to listen and drive her to places. Interviews, shopping for clothes, or for walks around San Diego at our favorite places – when she needed to decompress. It’s been so fun to live this time in life with her, and she chatters about her friends dreams and hopes as well. There are three of them, that are sticking close emotionally trying to get through this time together. I’m not sure if they will fully appreciate how incredibly sweet this period in life is. The not knowing. The dreaming. The high-school drama of who got in already, and who hasn’t. In the end they’ll all scatter into their lives. All their friend group is very lucky and will do fine. They are prep school kids and their parents are like me, just enjoying this time and being selfish. We all do our part in the world, but especially for me since I missed so much being a young resident when I had both of our kids – I’m absolutely reveling in this last stretch when I get to know so much and she gets to be 100% my kid and wherever she goes gets to be 100% her journey.

It’s not EXACTLY 75 days, but it’s around 75 days until all the final decisions will roll in. And you know what I keep on thinking every time she shares with me some of her angst and joys? I am at my heart a very simple person. I just keep on thinking, YOU ARE SO PRETTY! LOL

She was HOMECOMING QUEEN. OMG this entire thing has been so much fun! And she’ll have fun so matter where she goes to college, and there will be tons of cute boys.

So pretty! Okay. Will continue to save the earth for our homecoming queen because I hope in 15 years to have grandchildren. I used to say 10, but 15 is better. She’ll planning to live this fantastic life and live abroad too. I can save the world from anywhere, and she loves me – so I’m invited along as well! (just to visit and go to cute coffee shops some amorphous place in Europe where I hopefully will get to meet her amorphous boyfriend at some point). I keep on teasing her that I hope she doesn’t fall in love with a boy from Irvine! Because of I have climate beef with the Mayor of Irvine. LOL. Only my friends know the true story or Irvine and the homecoming drama and triumphs.

December 31, 2025

by Dr. Plastic Picker

It’s Christmas Eve Day and I’m working just the morning shift, and then I have our Educational Time. I think this is the first holiday season I haven’t felt resentful because we all have to cover, mostly because our two kids are almost grown and life is more peaceful now. I’m grateful for every day in clinic, and to get to be kids’ pediatrician hopefully for a lot of them their entire childhood. It’s a powerful statement, that I don’t think I fully realized when I joined our HMO. Now that I’m toward the latter half of my career, I realize how rare that experience is. My patients are lucky, but honestly I’m the luckiest. I get to be part of their lives in very specific ways and to help guide them to a healthier future.

I mentor a lot of young adults, as they are trying to find out what their profession is. And I think as one is choosing your life’s work, it’s important to remember that what you choose to do and who you choose to do it with – will fundamentally change you. Getting into medical school is certainly hard, but the practice of medicine itself can be transformative. It can make you a better person and a better listener. It demands so much and certainly can burn you out (cue the increased rates of physician suicide and burn out), but at it’s core devoting your life to healing and protecting children makes pediatricians better human beings.

I’m not sure why I’m thinking these thoughts this morning? It feels really good to be back on the blog! Oh, mostly I wanted to let the internet know and some of my extended family know that I’m sorry if there are people in your life, or at your school or at your work that ever bullied you or made you feel yucky. As someone who has gone through bullying in multiple places, it doesn’t feel good and it stays with you. But please tell your pediatricians, your parents and other people you trust. It’s important to share the burden and bullies isolate their victims. But staying connected and speaking up, will defuse and 100% help the situation. There is no reason any child should be bullied in this age.

And Dr. Plastic Picker made some Styrofoam people to fight off the bullies!!!

December 23, 2025

OMG! The BLOG is BACK!!! For certain weird reasons the blog has been down for 6 months. When the blog disappeared, I was really sad. I had six years worth of thoughts and ramblings and climate work in over a thousand of blogposts just suddenly gone.

But this entire endeavor has really been about climate work and having fun, so I figured I would not stress about it too much and know that somewhere out there my internet ramblings were still out there – somewhere. I continued to do climate work, and shared on Instagram and Facebook. But in my heart, I missed this place on the virtual ethernetwork the most. Where was my blog? Where were my ramblings? Where were my thoughts?

And suddenly like that, because one of my family members who helps me manage things updated his credit card information and for $10 – by BLOG is BACK!!!

I’m so happy! But honestly I’m generally happy these days but definitely HAPPIER that I have this forum again to share my rambling thoughts on climate, children and raising kids and being a pediatrician.

Wishing our blog readership a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hannukah, Happy Kwanza, Happy New Year, and Happy Winter Soltice (however you choose to celebrate this winter). An atmospheric river is coming so I’m going to go clean the street gutters around my neighborhood today. I hope you get out and do something great for yourself and the earth!

Yeah my BLOG is BACK!!!

July 4, 2025

It’s 657AM and I’m going soon to jog to my parents’ house to visit my dad. He had cataracts surgery. I’m getting older too and I didn’t fully realize what happens to a woman’s body as she ages. It’s been much harder on me than I realized, knowing that I have to wear this patch and take supplements that my doctor recommended to feel okay. It’s hard to know that you are relying on something to feel like you – does that make sense?

Just here typing on the blog, and returning to where I can be me. I think there are still folks reading? But I’m not really sure and honestly this was always just me living in my own head.

Our own son wants to be a doctor now, and a pediatrician in fact. It feels so right. His father and I have told him his entire life not to be a doctor. We are both physicians. And even with that and being born during our residency and how chaotic our parenting and our lives were during the years we were raising him, he still wants to be a doctor.

I’ll be honest. I’m still a practicing pediatrician despite my forays into legislative advocacy, buying a tree farm and all the “side quests” I’ve been on. I still see patients and have to decide diagnosis and imaging, and talk to so many children and families through the day. I’m absolutely happy being a pediatrician. Every day I walk into clinic and I am so happy to be where I am. I don’t think too much about the next clinical day. I absolutely don’t dread it anymore. I just do what I’m meant to do, which is doctoring. I’m happy.

But the realization that our son wants to be a doctor too, makes me worried. It is bringing back all the good and the terrifying moments that my husband and I lived together. The journey has not been easy, and in fact it’s been incredibly hard. I am not dissuading him. I am supportive. But as a mother who is a doctor, it’s the next stage in my life that I did not expect.

I just wanted to let the readership know. It’s terrifying to me. I wish he’d pick something easier.

But he’s the kindest boy. He was the easiest baby. And he’ll make a wonderful pediatrician. He has the absolute biggest heart. But it’s understandable that as his mother and knowing exactly the path he is entering, I am knowingly . . . reflective about it all.