Germy

All day yesterday, during lectures and then while studying with some friends, I couldn't help but to refresh the  thread on reddit that had the continuous updating of the manhunt in Boston. Most of you are probably aware of reddit, and if not that site, other internet forum boards. In no way am I the first to reflect on this stark change in how many people receive their news, but I'll throw in my two cents concerning what this means for the future for us as a culture, but also for main stream media outlets. Last summer we saw the shooting during the Batman premier in Colorado ( Huff Post referencing reddit ,  good concise article about reddit's coverage ) and the subsequent coverage paradigm shift from cable news to personal accounts and direct police scanner updates on user submitted content derivation sites (i.e., reddit). Of course, there are also links to television station streams, local and national, other "official" news outlets, but also other soc...

When I was making the rounds across the country for various medical school admission interviews, they all, for the most part blend into one black and blue cheap suit day filled with nervous, forced smiles. All the schools have little idiosyncrasies in terms of how they run the day, but you can expect the information session, the tour of the facilities and then the actual interview -- usually in this order. One school, which hosted me for what was my second or third interview had a tour guide who was not a student, which was the case in all of my other interviews. I might not remember this fact, if it were not for the guide telling our group, while touring the cadaver lab that he/she suffered from a terminal disease, and was trying to get the school to allow her to donate her body to the cadaver lab. This struck me, and a few of my fellow interviewees as strange as we gave each other sidelong glances to make sure we weren't the only ones surprised by this. Thinking about this ...

Inadvertently, I found myself listening to a presentation by a potential Academic Dean, who was presenting herself and her philosophies concerning the education of medical students -- in essence, an opening salve in what could eventually be a job interview. Often times, if there is no other pressing issues, I spend lunch in the lecture hall with my headphones on. It is nice to get some quiet time and get organized for the rest of the day. Despite having my nice headphones with me, I found myself actually paying attention. It didn't hurt that the presenter last (or is currently, perhaps) worked in Oregon, and briefly discussed the residency position situation, which is about as big of a hook for me as there is. Most of the mechanisms she proposed to use for medical student education are things that I've heard before, nonetheless, they seem sound and logical. Whether or not this particular school is implementing all of these ideas or isn't, is a very difficult thing to ...

The 25th episode, in the 5th season of Star Trek: The Next Generation is entitled " The Inner Light " and I think that everyone should go and watch it right now; even if you've seen it before. Now, I am a fan of ST: TNG and have been since it first aired on broadcast television, starting in the late 80's and into the mid-90's. I realize that my attachment stems from feeling like I grew up watching this show, and while I do like  all things Start Trek, I don't love  any other show, movie, comic or fan-fiction creation like I do TNG. But, all this matters not where the specific episode mentioned above is concerned. Some might say that the following is needing a " SPOILER ALERT " to avoid ruining the episode I've directed everyone to watch. However, I'm thinking that not many of you will go and watch it, but most importantly, I can write page after page about this episode and still not ruin it for any virgin viewer. So, here is a...

I am thankful for my family -- the immediate and extended alike. Living away from most of them for almost ten years makes for fun, filled, and always, trips that are too short. Unlike most undergraduate programs, which allow for a month plus break in the winter, medical school (at least, my program, and most DO programs, I'm sure) allows for just over two weeks between semesters. That, coupled with my wife's work schedule afforded us a small window with which to travel north up to Portland, Oregon. Various issues (the least not being my wife's father's continued health struggles) were at play that would have made staying at home the prudent decision, but one of the nice things about once again living on the West Coast, is that we are within a (relatively) short drive up I-5 from Portland. Also, my plans to spend most of next summer in Israel, involved with an Emergency Medicine rotation means my opportunities to see family will be severely limited, that, coupled w...

I don't like corn from a can, or frozen corn but I really enjoy corn on the cob. These days I don't drink much soda, but when I do, I will seek out a 12oz can. I will avoid plastic bottles or fountain soda. Glass bottles are okay. I won't wear socks until they're showing any signs of wear. I will buy new ones. Someday soon I will only wear socks a handful of times before I donate them. I refuse to wear pants that have pleats in them. I also refuse to wear a button-up shirt that doesn't have long sleeves. I think rollerblades suck. But, skateboards are cool, dude. I don't like coconut flavors or coconut candy. I love coconut milk curries. If someone asked me what I thought about "reality television" I would try to convey my hatred. But, recently, I realized I like chef and cooking shows which, in general, are just as bad as any other reality television. The fact that I don't have any tattoos or pie...

The last time I saw the Supersuckers , live and in concert was the first time I attended an over 21 only show. It was at  Berbati's Pan , a small club in downtown Portland -- the fact that it is a relatively small venue is worth noting. I went to the show with a number of friends, but by the end of the night I'm sure they would have testified that they didn't know me, and I don't blame them. This night was to become a seminal point in my maturation process, and it goes to prove that I usually have to learn things the hard way.  Seeing as how I was an immature drinker, I didn't know how to pace myself and I dived right in. Drinking heavily from the opening band (I have no idea who they were, I probably never did) in anticipation of the Supersuckers set. I really loved them as a band, and they carry this persona that conveys bad-ass, and general not giving a shit-ness. In fact, I guess I bought into this persona that they played up that I thought they w...