Ok, so I decided that for about the first time in my life that I'd try to educate myself for this election. So I picked up the Voter's Guide at Spot today. I am about 30 seconds into it, and already it's making me crazy. God I hate politics. I always feel a little guilty for being so utterly uninformed about politics- but at the same time there's something to be said for my peace of mind, I think.

So I was studying, and reading a chapter about lung cancer, and there was the following in my book:

Primary tracheal tumors are unusual, frequent occurances.

Huh? Aren't unusual and frequent sort of opposites? eh, whatever.

And later it talked about how if you have to remove part of the trachea, in order to keep tension off the stitches while it heals, the usual thing to do is to sew the person's chin to his breastbone for 7 days.
I certainly hope I never have to do that. How horrifying.

Ok, but to my point-
I tend to be scientific and analytical about things. Pretty uncreative, and generally very skeptical of things I can't explain. Hence the whole atheism bit.

But was talking to a friend the other day, and got to talking about freaky math- chaos theory, fractals, etc. And the Fibonacci sequence. A simple sequence, where you start with 0,1 and then just add the previous two numbers together to get the next one. 0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13 etc. No big deal, simple, just some numbers, right?

Well... it turns out that if you plug this into mathematical modelling programs, it will predict, quite accurately, the way branches come off a tree. Or rivers fork and divide. Or the way the human lung is divided into smaller and smaller segments.

And then other equations can map out the stripes of a zebra or the pattern on a shell...

How freaking geek-cool is that?

Must say it kinda gives me goosebumps... Maybe there is something up there in charge of it all, after all. ;)

Here's a cool little article about it. (and this is not new news- this is from 1993).

p.s. paul that reminds me- what happened to the newsfeeds and stuff that used to be over on the right?

Ok, so I should not post (or communicate in any way, probably) when I first wake up, or am just going to bed- as I somehow say weird crazy things that I otherwise would not. Like the other night my phone rang at 4am and woke me up- I didn't answer, but responded with a ridiculous text message. Later in the day thought 'oh WHY did I say that?'

But I had the most insane dreams again last night... This time not about cool exotic travelling- but I was somehow infiltrating some secret ring- Nichols School was apparently grooming certain seniors for... well I don't know for what... but there was a select group of students that had implants placed in their arms, and were sort of brainwashed... And somehow I knew it and was trying to prove it... I was finding clues underwater, sneaking into christmas chapel services, somehow managed to do a tonsil biopsy (???) on one girl- then they released dogs on me who smelled in in my pocket...

I've never been to Nichols. I don't know if they HAVE christmas chapel. I must have been projecting my own boarding school memories. But it was wild. Sort of a cross between Harry Potter and James Bond. Then the damn alarm had to wake me up.

And on that note, I will be late for work. Later peeps. Have a peaceful sunday.

-J

Ok... So I went out tonight to "watch the hockey game", though in reality I went to drink beer and ignore the game.

But some friends were (back) in town.
Med students that graduated in may, and now are off being real mini-docs of their own.

And so we were all sitting there... drinking beer... watching hockey... catching up...

And-

no one could talk about anything but work.

"oh my god well I had this patient who..."

"oh yeah? well MY med student did..."

And I just thought "oh god... am I that boring?"

No offense to my friends... I know what they're going through... it's all new and exciting and overwhelming.... but not at a bar, guys.

I know I tell a lot of stories.
I find them amusing. I think they're worth sharing.

But now that I'm on the other end of the stick-

God I hope I don't bore you all to death.

If I do- would you please tell me to SHUT THE FUCK UP and STOP TALKING SHOP?

Ok?!

Thank you.

Then the one non-medical guy brought some friends of his over... all musicians... Including Paolo. Paolo is Italian. I was fascinated, because I speak italian (sort of), and was so excited to have someone to talk to. And damn... an italian accent is hot. Unfortunately, I think that was misinterpreted as romantic interest. Oy...

Blah.

Time for bed.

Go sabres?

(I got yelled at for ordering Sam Adams at Faherty's. "it's a boston beer". Shit... sorry... Boston's my home team, though.)

so (e:lilho,470) reminded me that I had the most crazy, awesome dreams last night. I felt like I was dreaming allll night. Unfortunately couldn't remember too much in the morning. But it was cool exotic travel stuff. I went to one place where the roads were made out of six feet of ice. But somehow it was warm out, and we slept in hammocks...

I love fun dreams. :) I wonder if it was the Belgian beer I had last night, or remnants of the weekend, or being less sleep deprived. Hmm. But when I woke up I was all confused and sort of in a daze.

And on a mostly unrelated note- boys confuse me. Simple as that.

Whew, what a weekend. So I had planned on going to Timika's party. When I got home from work, I laid down at 5:30 for "a quick nap", then I was going to shower and get ready and head over. Well, I woke up at 12:30, decided it was too late to start getting ready, and went back to bed. Slept til 9:30. 16 hours. Yeah. I guess I needed it. But I'm bummed I missed out- Timika where are your pix?

Then last night my plan was to go to a party in Allentown, and meet up with Tony somewhere along the way. But instead went to dinner/watch the game at Toro. Split a bottle of wine. Then to Merritt's house for a minute- more wine. Then to some random basement party off Hertel. More wine to go. Then finally to Allentown. The party was pretty fun. They had a band playing on one floor. And Sean has a really cute dog, so I was playing with the dog, and he said that he's trying to get another dog.... Turns out he's trying to adopt from 'the boy'. Small world. I told him I'd put in a good word for him- then realized my word will probably hurt more than help. :(

Anyway so we were at that party for a while, and all my friends were eager to meet Black Jesus. But then the call for food won out, and we were going to head to Jim's. But there were cops all over and the window was broken or something. And then all of sudden I realized I was trashed and needed to go home. That second. So I came home and went to bed. had a nasty hangover all day, and just started feeling human again around 5. Now to clean up this mess of a house, and maybe head to spot to get some studying done. Maybe. Sorry we missed you, tony.

So, here are a few terrible pix. Please tell me you can tell what I'm supposed to be. I thought it was pretty obvious. But maybe it wasn't. Here's a hint- I am NOT the Statue of Liberty- which two people thought I was.


Merritt and Kelly. Kelly is a flapper. Obviously. Merritt is a cowboy. But didn't realize how Brokeback he was in that coat until it was too late.


Me. Terrible.


Julie is about 6'1, and then is wearing like 6" platforms. That girl was tiny.


Merritt getting brokeback spanked by the naughty nurse.


Julie, me, and Kelly. I never thought I was THAT short...


Ah yes, his crotch, I think that's the best place to listen for a pulse.

Ok, so I'm a little drunk and rambly (side note- I do not recommend eating at fanny's, even if for free)- but here's a story.

So... as you may know I'm applying for plastic surgery fellowships. It is very competitive, and I think I'll need all the help I can get. So there's this forum, on "studentdoctor.net" where people write about their application experiences, etc. But mostly it's a lot of med students bitching and moaning. So... I'm too lazy to cut and paste the whole convo, and besides it's too long. But this one little shit, who goes by "moola" was debating the pros and cons of plastics vs. ent- blah blah blah. But at the end he said "but all I want is to be a real moola doctor". I couldn't hold my tongue, and I told him I recommended he cool it with the moola shit; that it's offensive.

Well he came out and tore me a new one, saying that *I* was the offensive one, he grew up poor, wants to be a self-made man, blah blah. I couldn't care less, and I don't care how poor he is- I think most people already think doctors sit on their asses all day and do nothing but play golf and make millions, which is so far from the truth. He does not need to perpetuate that myth.

So I responded. He ripped into me again, at which point I decided I was done. But someone else ripped into me, saying "it's liberals like you..." which just made me laugh. Me, liberal?! hardy har.

But seriously- is it just me, or is it tacky and gross to hear someone talking about choosing their specialty based not on a love of the field, or the patients, but on "moola"?

I hate my job sometimes. Not my job, but that I have to be lumped in with douchebags like that.

Ugh.

Ok, done ranting. time for bed.

Ok, so I just got this email from a friend:

Ladies -
> >
> >
> > Bloomingdale's is coming out with their own line of make-up called
> > ELF and they are selling it all online as a start up promotion for
> > $1!
> >
> >
> > I am not kidding you - you can get like $300 worth of makeup for
> > $30.
> > I just ordered a bunch of stuff.
> >
> >
> > Just thought I would pass it along. Happy shopping!
> >
> >
> > Here's the link:

I assumed it was a hoax, but it actually seems to be real... I went to the website, and everything really is listed as $1. (though there is also a little section that says they have nothing to do with bloomingdale's). So who knows if it's crap, but I figured there might be a few peepettes out there down with nearly-free makeup.

And just some randomness to close with-

These are these disinfectant super germ-killing wipes that are all over Roswell.

I just love the "no babies" warning on them.


Hope you all had a good weekend!
Love,
J

P.S. Go see The Prestige! It rawks.

(and by "long time" I mean- 3 whole days. whoa!)

Nothing much here. Roswell is sucking the life out of me. But rather than make the best of it, I seem to prefer bitching about it. Good attitude!! Debating a date or two, though, which I guess is a good thing...

But a fun little game seems to be making the myspace circuit. Since I am too busy (or lazy) to make a new mix these days, I'll just copy this for you here instead. I didn't like my original result, so I redid it. (my original is with my whole music library- new and improved is from my "4-5 stars" playlist only. Problem is I've only assigned stars to a few hundred songs, and my taste seems to change rapidly)

IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?
So, here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing- no cheating!
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Go burn your soundtrack!

• Extra credit [labor-intensive] version: don't do it on shuffle- actually pick the songs you feel are appropriate.

[below is my lazy version]

Opening Credits:
Feel Good Inc - Gorillaz

Waking Up:
Mr. Brightside - The Killers

First Day At School:
The Bordello - Pelican City [very cool mellow electronic-y stuff]

Falling In Love:
Encore - DJ Dangermouse [I love the Grey Album]

Breaking Up:
Praise You - Fatboy Slim

Prom
Your Woman - White Town [Talk about one hit wonder (and I am using the term "hit" loosely) but I always really liked this song.]

Life's Ok:
Rosy and Grey - Lowest of the Low [ahh, ex-boyfriend flashbacks... not as painful as they used to be, fortunately]

Mental Breakdown:
Blame the English - The Lovekevins [on my second mix, I believe. Available for download over there ---> ;) ]

Driving:
Black Cab - Jens Lekman [ooh, love him. Jens, you crazy swede you!]

Flashback:
Trouble [big beat remix] - "Coldplay" [kick-ass techno remix]

Getting Back Together:
Pounding - The Doves

Birth of Child
Chicago - Sufjan Stevens

Wedding Scene:
Two Step - DMB [prob my fave DMB song of all time. Still love it, after all these years. Ahh, college memories.]

Final Battle:
Computer Talk - Coldplay vs Kraftwerk [cool mashup from BootieSF.com]

Death Scene:
Let's Just See - The Engineers

Funeral Song:
Caring is Creepy - The Shins

End Credits:
Banquet - Bloc Party

Whoa.
I just got this from my dad, with the caption "wow... I feel like a chump. Not a dry eye in the house".

Check it out:

(it's a story about a (75yo) dad who was run 85+ marathons, pushing his (45yo) disabled son in a wheelchair... then they finally rigged something up so the son could communicate, and he said all he wishes is that one day he could push his dad... Anyway, there's a video at the end, and it's a tearjerker.)

Ok, and on a TOTALLY unrelated note...
Can someone please tell me what 'hyphy' is? Context: now playing: "blah blah blah song: hyphy remix"
Apparently it's some new fad in music... but I'm lost. Even listening to it, I can't tell exactly what it is.

So, there's this girl at work... I've sort of never liked her. Probably b/c I'm jealous, but I'm not sure. She's very pretty, and very stylish. Very designer-everything, which is sort of the opposite of me. But we've been on call together for the last few weeks, and actually it was kind of fun and I realized she's not so bad. She gave me a ride home from work yesterday, and Paris Hilton's song came on the radio, and she said "ugh I hate Paris Hilton" and I mumbled something and she said "well I was dissed for Paris Hilton" and I asked what she meant, and she said that Nick Carter dumped her for Paris. She said she'd been wondering why he was being weird and not returning calls- and then she saw them on the tabloids in the checkout line or something.

But anyway, so yesterday she invited me out with her... I felt like the nerd who had been invited to hang out with the popular kids... I was kind of psyched. I even bought some sexy shoes, b/c my usual jeans and a sweater wouldn't cut it in her scene. (and I got compliments on the shoes (zebra striped stilettos) ALL night, even from girls. Score!)

So my other friend and I went to Blu Mirage. She picked the place and said she'd meet us there, so we went there. Well she didn't show. She called from Soho instead, and said to come there, but we didn't feel like walking that far. So the nerd got stood up by the cool kids, again. Ugh. But we had fun anyway.

It was an interesting night... Ended up at Mother's til 5am. Some girl tried to strangle my friend for talking to her boyfriend. Like seriously left scratch marks on her throat.

And I got introduced to these two guys, Andrew and Ryan. I didn't think much of it, they didn't seem interested in me, and I wasn't so interested in them. But girls were all over them all night....

I learned later their last names are Peters and Miller, and they are Sabres. I don't think they liked that I didn't know who they were, and didn't fawn all over them all night. Whatever.

Then some guy bought me a drink, and we talked most of the night. He was cute. And it turns out that he's good friends with my Work Crush #2- who later showed up. Small world. People kept telling me all night how into me he was. And he had no power/heat, and was kind of hinting about needing a place to stay. Everyone was giving me winks and nudges. So I said he could crash at my place. So he did. And we didn't even smooch. He ended up leaving a little while ago, and didn't even ask for my number. Hmm. I was kind of surprised, b/c I had definitely been getting the feeling that he was interested.

I wish I wasn't so socially retarded... I just don't know how to play the game. At all. I can't flirt to save my life. I mean I don't know that I'm super into this guy or anything, but he was cute and nice and I would have let him call me, but I think I gave him totally cold vibes, without meaning to. Blah...

Ok, back to my regularly scheduled hangover.

Sorry I'm so chatty (yet boring) lately...

-J