cactuses or cacti?

So, I arrived safely into Phoenix, Arizona and got hooked up with a phat pad called the Residence Inn Marriott Phoenix Airport 1 bedroom suite. I have two flatscreen tvs, a full size bed, a vanity, dishwasher, refrigerator, sofa, desk, and extra chair and dining set, etc, etc, all to my(bad)self. I was able to workout in the "gym" at the hotel -- two treadmills, a bike, and an elliptical machine with a few hand weights. Not my favorite, but there was a tv and I was able to watch an episode of CSI to keep me running for an hour...

I got COMPLETELY lost on the Metro Light Rail train thingy trying to find dinner with the residents and was walking through areas of town that almost-petite-Asian-twenty-six-year-olds should probably not be walking through. I was scared & cried 'cause I was frustrated and 30 minutes late for dinner; which ended up being a sit-down dinner rather than a buffet-style. I'm sure all applicants will agree that being at a sit-down dinner is much more uncomfortable than an open floor atmosphere because you are limited to talking to the same four people all night. Because I was late, I ended up at the end of the table and the poor resident, medical student, and applicant significant other had to talk to me all night... However, the food was FABULOUS ITALIAN with gourmet pizzas, caprese salad, & a tossed salad covered in parmesan. Yummy.

After interviews, I went running with a resident and another applicant. Seeing as I'm out of shape coming back from knee surgery, I was falling a little behind during their 7:40 pace... Urgh. Nothing more frustrating for an [ex]athlete than being out of shape and having someone else see it. That's okay. I'll be back.

I think as a resident, I shall train for a marathon and try to do one in a different city every year. Okay, I stole that idea from an REI doc that interviewed me... but it's a goodie :) Maybe my first can be a half marathon in Hawaii...

The breakfast is awesome at my Residence Inn. It's the breakfast with the waffle-maker, the oatmeal and accouterments, the yogurt and fillings, the bagel and toast bar, the hot eggs, bacon, sausage, and potatoes, and fresh juice and coffee!! Oh, and cereal and milk and pastries! A good breakfast bar is always a sign of a great hotel. I shall return again tomorrow!

The Residence Inn shuttle drops us at the Metro and I took the train to the Tempe Fall Festival of the Arts. It's near ASU - where Jana went to school, home of the Sun Devils - and took up like ten blocks. I was walking around all over the place! Found some great Kettle corn and listened to some live music while walking around looking for Christmas gifts. I had a wonderful time and stopped by Mills End for a vanilla steamer and some post-card thank-you writing...

Keep in mind, people, that whatever you are doing cannot be as bad as all the street performers I saw today trying to make some money by juggling on a unicycle or pretending to tie and untie knots in handkerchiefs... Actually, that sounds like fun. I take it back.