Double Waiting.

If you know me (or my older brother Wes), you know that there's one thing I (we) don't do very well.  That thing is waiting.  Now, we're not the types to flip out in a long check-out line or to jump you in line at a theme park.  We both can be very patient.  I have no problem spending a long time explaining something to a student.  Our impatience is distinct in that we're not total jerks when we have to wait for mundane things, or things that don't affect us personally.  However, if we, or something important to us, are threatened?  Look out.  We turn into instant gratification monsters.  Usually, the first thing that happens is that one of us (whichever is about to engage in catastrophic thinking) calls the other.  If there is no answer, the phone will ring incessantly for at least 20 minutes.  Frantic text messages will ensue.  If that doesn't work, our mom receives a pleading phone call ("Are you with Wes/Wendy, I need to talk to him/her!"), and she joins in trying to track down the other.  When the irrational thinker finally reaches his/her sibling, it goes something like this:  "Wes/Wendy, I'm dealing with a situation (which ALWAYS, ALWAYS has the characteristic of things simply not going my/his way in my/his timeframe).  Do you think my (life/running career/academic career/financial stability/relationship) is over?"  The one receiving the call knows the drill.  That one tells the other one that OF COURSE his/her life/running career/academic career/financial stability/relationship is not over and that everything will be okay.  All the while thinking "Whoa, I'm glad that's not happening to me.  I would FREAK OUT."  It's perfectly normal for this cycle to continue for several weeks over the exact same issue.  Well, my brother Wes has had quite a few phone calls lately about my running and my IRB troubles.  And despite the fact that I wish I had control over both those situations, I don't.  And that, my friends, drives this woman mad.

I had my CT scan yesterday, and they told me the results would be ready in 24 hours.  So, at 4:20 (I went 20 minutes past the 24-hour mark, thankyouverymuch), I called the doctor's office.  The results are in!  Except--my doctor is not.  And the nurse told me that he needs to go over the results with me.  Which means I have to wait until Monday to find out the results.   And to worry--I think she would have told me the results if they were normal.  However, that could just be their policy.  What if they lose my results?  What if my doctor gets sick and isn't in on Monday?  What if there's a fire?  Better call Wes.

I'm also waiting on the IRB situation.  My committee members are considering our next move.  I have a really good idea about how I think we can make them happy, which I emailed to my committee yesterday, but I haven't heard back.  So I can't DO anything about this situation.  I can stare at it, but I can't do anything.  And OF COURSE this happens over a weekend.  Their email inboxes will be so full of emails on Monday morning that they surely won't even read mine.  Wes?!

Lots of running this weekend--10 tomorrow, 17 on Sunday.