January 8, 2021

by drplasticpicker

Sending appropriate work emails is really exhausting. When you send an official work email that is some part of an official correction of workflow for the department, it has to be worded well. It has to have appropriate workflow departmental content. It has to be sent and endorsed by the right people. It needs to be written in a way that most should want to read. And then one has to forsee the nit-pickers and what they might say or reply, and try to avoid certain booby traps that the departmental nit-pickers or debbie downers will deploy. I had Dr. Dear Friend proofread my email yesterday and had read it to two different people before I sent it. It was better for the combined input. There is email silence since sending that work departmental official email, which is a good thing. Just one humorous reply of someone who likes to make me laugh.

Mr. Plastic Picker has to send those types of emails as well, and they take up a disproportionate amount of brain space and sucks up my introvert emotional energy. Anyway the email is sent and the work situation is semi-resolved, and I was just tired yesterday. Clinic has not been particularly busy. It has been normal busy and most appointment slots filled. But when our daughter came out of her room last night at 8pm and asked me to remind her to work on her History Day Project, I realized that she is tired as well. One can overcomit to doing good, and extracurriculars. This weekend I will try to set a good example. Life and trying to save the earth, needs to be a healing and sustainable journey.

I appreciate this blog so much. Blogging doesn’t make you much money. It’s nice being a hobbyist blogger and an environmental hobbyist. My middle management clinical job pays the bills more than enough, and I can come back here to find meaning. Or just to write silly things. Like yesterdays blog was just me being silly and frustrated about the world. Blog tantrums are the best!

Definitely the attempted coup on the government and anxiously watching the Georgia Senate elections was part of the national busyness of this week. Mr. Plastic Picker just told me 4,111 Americans died yesterday from COVID-19. That is another profound layer of emotional exhaustion the country has to face. I also volunteered to work on the adult inpatient units if they should need me, when the call went out for pediatric volunteers.

But this morning’s blog has been really helpful. While I was blogging I also did some environmental work.

1. New Blog Plug In. Installed a new plug-in to stop the continued cyber-hacking attacks. Mechanical Engineering Interns are the best.
2. Grand Rounds at UCSD Family Practice Program. Fun email exchange and conversations regarding Climate Advocacy and Creatvity. This also helps because we are going to highlight the Children’s Arts Council Project we are working on https://drplasticpicker.com/event/ucsd-family-practice-residency-climate-advocacy-talk/
3. EV Infrastructure at HMO. Someone wants to work on EV infrastructure at our HMO. It’s not a topic I’m super excited about but it’s really important and it’s important to this person. So I’m going to help try to point them in the right direction.
4. Medical Society Consortium on Climate & Health. Arranging interview regarding my climate work. I’m going to be profiled as their January Climate Champion.
5. San Diego Pediatricians for Clean Air: Offering Patch Activity!!! Which is the real reason I started this blog. I need to get out an email to two parents who also follow me on Instagram. We are offering to give youth talks on clean air and pediatric health, and offering a patch! I’ll do this on the actual San Diego Pediatriciasn for Clean Air website.

Thanks everyone for following along! It’s been a busy week and that is going to be it for climate work today. I have a full day of clinic, and Girl Scout Cookie Season is going to start! We are going to try to really sell Thin Mints this year because Thin Mints are vegan.