Jenks's Journal

05/04/2008 11:28 #44229

Good show!!
Category: music

So...
I saw The Police at HSBC last night. (as my dad said, better than seeing them at the station. ha-ha-ha). They were awesome.
It was a great birthday present in and of itself- but then on top of it, we were in a suite, and even a GIANT limo. And started with dinner at Papaya.
Unfortunately I was on call and had to work in the AM, so that put a damper on the drinking, but still.

The Police were my first "favorite band". I think I was in 4th grade when I heard Message In a Bottle, and I went out and bought Synchronicity (on tape). The went back and got a couple of their earlier albums. So I got in on it at the tail end (they disbanded in 84), but you can't really blame me, since I was 8.

So this tour is a pretty big deal. They went on tour in '07, as a 30th anniversary reunion thing. They hadn't played together in 24 years. They said last night the last time they played Buffalo was 1978. (though someone said that's wrong, they were here in 84. I dunno.)

But in any case, I think it's fair to say they're a pretty influential band in music history. I think I would equate seeing this concert with seeing maybe the Stones (except it's actually easier to see the Stones since they still play sometimes).

So I was just surprised when I mentioned at work, and no one seemed even vaguely interested. Who knows... maybe they're too old? But really... who doesn't still start singing "Roxanne" every time it comes on at a bar?!

But, who cares what they think. It was a great show. They only played a couple songs I didn't know. Sting still has a great voice, and Stewart Copeland, the drummer, is amazing.

So... happy birthday to me. It was great. :)

just to clarify- the limo was not on my behalf. The guy whose suite it is apparently gets limos often- whenever there's a big group and drinking is involved. I (and about 15 other people) just happened to luck out.

Unfortunately it was tough to get decent pix on my phone, but...

Our ridiculous limo

Elvis Costello

The Police

soma - 05/06/08 15:11
Yeah I saw the Police also.. Ive been a fan also since the ealry 80's but yeah good show and elvis costello too.. though so big a concert i felt a little bit disconnnected, but i am glad i did get to go see them.

oh and a very happy birthday to you too

hope your birthday wishes come true

health and happiness

Curt-Soma

drew - 05/04/08 14:56
Police are way cooler than the stones.

Happy Birthday.

mrmike - 05/04/08 13:39
Happy Birthday, it was a great show. Whoever your police source was was correct. They were here in 84, right at the end.

Both Police and Elvis were in great form last night

james - 05/04/08 13:29
Happy Birthday!

metalpeter - 05/04/08 13:05
Happy Birthday. I saw a limo about that size on firday night and thought must be nice to be able to do that and you or someone can. Hey why no inside the limo pictures? Hope you had a great time.

04/29/2008 17:03 #44187

warm fuzzy / major bitchy

So... I'm at work. There hasn't been all that much for me to do today- but there's a case that's supposed to go at 5pm. Which has already been delayed til 6. I won't be surprised if it doesn't go til 9. But in any case, I've been sitting around all day killing time.
Went to a retirement lunch for one of my fave docs... had to fight back tears b/c I'm a huge sap... (but he's so great. I'll miss him).
[I do love all the people that come out of the woodwork for free food. All the housekeeping etc staff, that you can't find when you need them, is suddenly there for lunch today.... The food was almost gone before Dr. B even got there. ugh.]

Other than that, I've been killing time, doing a few little things, touching base with the interns, etc.

Really what I want to do is take a freaking nap for an hour before this case, but sadly there's no place to do that, and I don't really want to be zonked out in the middle of the lobby or something.

So I came to "my" office (an abandoned desk in the back of the secretaries' office) and have just been dicking around on the computer. Waiting for everyone to leave, and then maybe I can turn the lights off and put my head on the desk for a little snoozle.

But I got a page... ugh... annoying... so I answered it. I didn't think I was particularly nice, but I answered her questions etc. But, I didn't really know as much as I could about the patient, so I didn't know everything she wanted to know. So I was not especially impressed with my performance. Also, I hate talking on the phone back here, b/c I feel like it disturbs the other people working.

But after I hung up, this voice piped up "alex?" "yeah?" "have you picked your specialty?" and I said "yes, hand" and she said "oh, that's too bad."

And then went on to say "b/c I hear you talk to people, and I always think that YOU are exactly who I would like to take care of me."

Then she went on to try to convince herself that she has a trigger finger and needs a hand surgeon. ;)

But anyway... I know I'm obnoxiously bragging here, but that kind of stuff makes me feel good. A lot of docs are assholes... And I try not to be... Being the smartest or the fastest or whatever is impressive and nice and all that- but I think even better than that is to be the kind of doctor that people WANT to see.

So, yay.

Oh- and to totally pull a 180 and be a major bitch for a minute-
Who plans their wedding for 12/26?! One of the other residents has, and it's pissing me off. B/c now she conveniently "has" to be the only one to get the holidays off. Usually we fight it out, and end up flipping a coin or something. but this year she's like "nope, I get it. b/c of my wedding." [she misses NO opportunity to tell you: that she's engaged, about her wedding, about her fiance, about her [freaking hideous] ring.]

So aside from the fact that she's pretty much screwing everyone she works with by making us all have to work thanksgiving/christmas/new year's to accommodate her- it seems like she's also screwing her guests. I mean what are they supposed to do- cut christmas with their families short so that they can get on a plane and travel on christmas day to go to her wedding? (and yes, she does celebrate xmas so that's not it.)

Maybe I'm being too harsh, but it just strikes me as very selfish and attention-seeking.

jenks - 04/29/08 20:18
no worries about mooching a bagel.

and I'm totally with you.
There *is* a certain degree of natural ability- some people are more dextrous than other, and make things look easy, and do them faster/smoother. But yes, you can train just about anyone to operate. As some people at work love to say, you could train a monkey to cut and sew.
But it's figuring out what's wrong, and how to manage it, that's the tough part. Knowing when to operate, and when not to. Knowing which operation to do when.

And then beyond that, it's how you interact with people.
Some degree of ego/confidence is good. I mean who wants a doctor who's all timid and nervous and unsure.
But on the other hand, no one wants some cocky asshole who is "too important" to spend a minute answering your questions, or intimidates you with so much medical jargon that you have no idea what he's saying, but are too scared to ask for clarification.

And the lawsuit point is a good one. Bedside manner is probably THE most important factor in lawsuits.
Shit happens. I wish it didn't, but it does. You can do everything PERFECTLY, but there's always a chance that something bad can happen. And, of course, sometimes people simply fuck up.
What's important is how you handle it.
No lying, no covering things up. Go in and say "we did the best we could, but xyz still happened. I'm very sorry. This is what we can do to make it better." or "I'm very sorry, but I made a mistake."
It's hard to do, but you HAVE to.

It's pretty well established that even if you have a nasty complication, if you have 1- explained the potentials risks/complications BEFORE surgery, and 2- you are upfront and honest and nice- people are MUCH less likely to sue, than if you're some arrogant prick. People aren't going to sue the guy that held their hand while they cried. They're going to sue the guy that seemed like he didn't CARE.

My dad, who of course I think is the greatest guy ever, has had a few complications. but his patients love him. he has never been sued. Another guy he worked with, same age, similar training, good surgeon, etc- has been sued like 10 times b/c he's a jerk.

One distinction though- there may not be a difference in OUTCOME (as in success rate, cure rate, complication rate etc)- but there is a difference in SATISFACTION and patient perception.

And that means a lot.

imk2 - 04/29/08 19:49
i can't say anything about showing up for free food....remember when i had you sneak me into the surgical lounge to get some of the food they had for the surgical staff? yeah, i admit it, i'm one of those losers ;)

and if this world was grey's anatomy, it looks like you would be izzy, no?

and you know how i feel about docs. i know it sounds crazy, but in my opinion, it is sooooo much more important HOW you talk to and treat a patient than how well you do the surgery. i mean, seriously, how much difference is there between the surgeons' ability to cut? seriously, can you tell me that there really is THAT much difference between one surgeon and another when it comes to their ability to cut out a tumor or suture? doesn't everyone get the same or similar kind of training when it comes to performing these tasks? and if not, isn't there something wrong with the educational system?

i'm guessing most people differ very little when it comes to their ability to execute the tasks they've been trained to do. i mean, do doctors/surgeons really differ all that much in terms of their abilities? i think the biggest differences between medical professionals really ARE their ability (or lack thereof) to deal with people. i wonder if the rates of litigation against doctors that are good with people as high as those who are assholes. i bet people are less likely to sue a doctor that is nice and approachable and caring. i wonder if there is a way to find that kind of information. i don't think there really is a way to gauge whether a doctor is a people person or not. it's all rather anecdotal, no?

fine, you can say that experience will make one person better than the other when performing surgery. but if you have two surgeons, who are the same age, have gone to the same school and have done the same number of fellowships, they probably have the same ability to do whatever surgeries they've been trained to do. but i bet the person that is able to talk to the patient and to the family will have better outcomes, because they are able to extract more accurate information regarding a patient's history, they are able to relay better information to the patient in terms of what they should and should not be doing to better their health, they are able to gain the patients' trust and therefore convince them follow instructions that will ultimately affect their recovery, they can communicate better to the patient and to the family options for treatment and they will get better patient compliance and cooperation.

so yeah, the nice doctors are without a doubt the better doctors. not just because they seem nice, but because their niceness translates to better care and better outcomes.

janelle - 04/29/08 18:00
I concur that she made an incredibly selfish decision to have her wedding the day after Christmas, for co-workers, friends, family, people who will be in the wedding! People are stupid when it comes to weddings. All good sense and thoughtfulness goes out the door with some people's weddings....Stupid, stupid, stupid.

04/27/2008 07:40 #44163

trying again

Ok, here (maybe?) is the caterpillar song.

::DOWNLOAD SOUND::

04/26/2008 20:45 #44160

caterpillar, caterpillar

Wow.... I have not updated my user song in a long time. It was on Sufjan Stevens xmas music.

But now I have! Listen to this song while you read. I lurve it.
Caterpillar Caterpillar, by Kira Wiley. The only decent song on some free sampler I got.

can anyone here the new song? I keep getting sufjan. Paul- are user songs broken?****

So....

What's new around here.

Well... I just got back from Charlottesville, VA. My last interview! I'm done! Woohoo!!

UVA is a really really gorgeous campus. Thomas Jefferson designed the whole thing. They have Edgar Allen Poe's room preserved and on display.

Charlottesville is pretty, too. Nice weather, lots of flowers out...
And more good looking preppy white kids than I have EVER seen in one place. (and no one else). Not sure if that's a good thing.

And I saw my preggo sister. Who has red hair, which was a bit of a shock. But I guess that's what happens when I don't see her for >6mo.

So, now just to decide where I want to go.

I think UVA and Portland are my top 2. But I change my mind every 5 minutes, so I don't know. I have a feeling I'm going to end up flipping coins. It would be nice to be near my sister, and stay on the east coast. And I like the program there. And it's warm. But... portland was really cool. But it's far away. I loved the program in Hartford... but don't really want to live in Hartford.
And then there's the option of staying here... And I'm torn... part of me is ready for a change... but I also hate moving and saying goodbye- it would sure be EASY to just stay. By the time I finish my residency, I will have lived here longer than I've lived anywhere besides RI. Crazy!! And Yale is in the mix too... Oy.

But at least I *have* choices, so I really shouldn't complain.

My rank list is due 5/7, and I then it's up to the computer... I find out on 5/21.

Oh, and everyone keeps asking me where I'm from, and telling me I have some crazy midwestern accent. Someone guess I was from North Dakota. WTF?! I don't like that at all.

chico - 04/28/08 12:05
Hmm, if it were me (not that anyone cares, ha) I'd move to Portland before moving anywhere in Virginia, just on principle. However, being near family is very nice, especially if you don't know anyone in the other city.

Sheesh, I can see why you're vacillating about which should be your number one!

And if you leave Buffalo I'd be sad, but I'd start looking out for professional conferences that meet in or near your new city so I could stop in and bug you. :-)

mrmike - 04/27/08 07:31
Well, if you do wind up here, you'd still have us :)

tinypliny - 04/26/08 22:39
Ah. Didn't see your update comment. No, I can still hear Sufjan.
And I tried changing my user sound as well, but it didn't work. I ended up deleting my original sound as well. Bleh.

tinypliny - 04/26/08 22:37
I love that song as well. I love Sufjan Stevens in general. I hope he sticks to his 50 State 50 Album plan.
I admit I am a little confused. What's the caterpillar song got to do with anything? Did you mean you are a caterpillar from North Dakota who would like to be a Butterfly in Portland or UVA?

Evil Laugh*

04/22/2008 18:02 #44105

scientology is wack

Ok, I finally found the original email I got, which is the source of all my knowledge of scientology. It's a craigslist post, in which some guy says he bought a box of books at a garage sale that included lots of scientology stuff, and this is what he makes of it.

and here is a list of some of the abbreviations- long, but some real gems in here:

This is my favorite part:
"But there is also one of these types of aliens that I kind of like. They are mentioned in one of the courses along with some other aliens. There is also a whole bulletin about them and from the wording you get the idea that this is current stuff. They are called Blinkers. It says that they are like little cats and you can only really see them if you have eliminated your reactive mind. Once again, that is something I do not completely understand about Scientology. What they do is hop on your head and hurt you. It says that they never like to go on the floor which is kind of like a real cat. They jump on you and then they jump on someone else. Sometimes it seems like they jump and in one lecture it says that they can teleport or something around. Maybe the last part is why they call them Blinkers? They have an incident where some of these Blinkers show up attack a whole room full of people and never once does even one of them touch the floor."

tinypliny - 04/23/08 20:58
And of course soylent green is made of people.

jenks - 04/23/08 17:49
jon, that's what I don't get. L. Ron Hubbard was a sci-fi writer, first and foremost. I mean really... this is War of the Worlds stuff. He made up this insane 'religion' that apparently goes back 75 QUADRILLION years (yes, much, much longer than anyone believes the universe has been in existence)- at which point alien king Xenu's planet was overpopulated so he put the extra aliens on AIRPLANES and sent them to Earth (aka Teegeeack). He put them in movie theaters to brainwash them, then put them in volcanos, which he blew up with hydrogen bombs. Litttle bits of their alien spirits went into the air (or something) and are now in all of us, and our ultimate goal in life is to shed ourselves of these evil spirits.

[yeah, sorry, I got a little wrapped up in wikipedia yesterday...]

I mean COME ON.

that's like george lucas saying "oh, by the way, star wars is REAL people- so join my religion and pay me lots of money or the wookies will get you."

oh yeah and if Fair Game scares you, check out Operation Snow White and Operation Freakout.

ladycroft - 04/23/08 10:19
cats with blinky eyes jumping on people's heads and attacking them. awesome! that's so fucking cool. seriously i want to be in that sunday school class when they have this lesson! hahahahaha.

ajay - 04/23/08 10:03
Scientologists are scary; don't underestimate them.

I knew a girl who lived near their "church" downtown. You could see the roof of their building from her kitchen.
She used to walk her dog, and ran into one of their guys a couple of times. She just told him her first name; nothing else.

A few days after her latest contact with the guy, she gets a call on her phone.
It's him (remember, she didn't give him her number).
He says, "come over to your kitchen window".
She goes over. From her kitchen window, she looks out. She sees him standing on his church's roof, waving at her.

So, just by knowing her first name, they were able to figure out where she lived, what was her phone number, etc.

Scary cult.

And the City of Buffalo welcomed them with open arms. Bunch of idiots.

jon - 04/23/08 09:16
Cat aliens... totally awesome. These bits of info would if compiled together would make an awesome B sci-fi movie.

However, here is one of the scary ones from that list, Jenks...

"Fair Game, the notorious Scientology policy of how to deal with critics; they may be "Sued, tricked, lied to, or destroyed," as per policy. A more recent policy has banished the WORDS "Fair Game", but the policy of what to do to them cannot ever be cancelled." ...yikes.

paul - 04/22/08 18:08
And you are questioning why I would not want one of there big whig recruiters on the site for whatever ulterior motives he would have. P.S. I didn't delete his journal like that sales guy from South Carolina that we all agreed had to go, I just told him I don not welcome him or his scumbagtologist friends here.