rbk106

The medical wilderness

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 01:02:28 GMT

Where the mighty Neurologist roams free. Today I had a close call with a neurologist. This is a real, totally feral, and aggressive neurologist. I was walking along and I'd stepped aside to allow a large flock of peaceable pulmonologists drift by. The soothing chatter of the nursing students perched along the hallways completed the image of an idyllic hospital ecology all at balance within the circle of life. Suddenly, the nursing students fell absolutely silent. A split second later SHE barreled through the hall, sending all the nursing students diving for cover and scattering pulmonology interns left and right. Before I could fully process what happened I was face to face with her, her eyes filled with carnivorous rage, her face with the regal calm born of knowing you are at the top of the food chain. For a moment our eyes met as I plastered myself against the wall behind me and tried to show no fear. A second later she moved on in search of juicer prey, her interns and residents running behind her. Gradually, nursing students peeped out of their hiding places and the hallway returned to normal. And so it is in the medical wilderness, a place where predators may ever lurk. Join us next time on "The medical wilderness" when we examine that poorly-understood phenomenon of sudden hyperactivity in the medical ecological landscape "4:00 on a Friday afternoon-A time when anything could happen, and everything always does"

Dang!

Fri, 25 May 2007 02:00:29 GMT

So, as many of you know I am going to be going to a session at Haystack Mountain School of Arts and Crafts in Maine after I take my STEP 1 national Boards exam. (for the curious: http://www.haystack-mtn.org/ )

Today I got a little update letter thing from then that revealed that MICHAEL MOSCHEN (for those of you who don't know who he is: http://www.michaelmoschen.com )is going to be a visiting guest artist there. Awash with geeky delirium I looked at WHEN he was going to be there only to find he arrives a day after I leave. Drat and Blast!

Of course, it might have proven difficult to effectively work at throwing pots when I was constantly overwhelmed with the coolness of his proximity. Still...One day...One extra day, and I could see a Michael Moschen performance live, up close, and personal. To say nothing of having him wandering around being really cool randomly which is what visiting artists do at this place (I've been there before so I know this). Sigh. Also, Sigh. And then some muttering of curse words.

SF pictures

Tue, 14 Nov 2006 21:58:01 GMT

So, just a few photos from my lovely trip to SF this summer are HERE:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/97731974@N00/sets/72157594376535667/show/

Disclaimer: I am not a photo person. I will never be a photo person. I take crummy shots if I even remember I have a camera and I usually feel no impulse to take pics if I'm actually enjoying myself. This is why there are no pics of me having wild high-jinx fun with my wild and crazy friends. It's like a tree in a forest. No one took a picture of it, but there WERE wild high-jinx. There WERE crazy wild friends. In, fact I miss them rather a lot right now, just thinking of all the wild, crazy, friendlyness.

Most of these pictures are from my solitary prowl along the harbor where I learned an interesting thing about myself. Though in fact I don't give a darn about cameras or photography, a camera in my hand makes solitary prowling fun. Who knew.

Another interesting self discovery. Though my pictures are crappy, I LOVE LOVE LOVE fiddling with the settings in iphoto to make them "better." I'm beginning to understand how this whole photography thing sucks people in. Imagine if I actually liked taking pictures AND THEN got to fiddle with them. Mind-blowing.

sinking further down

Tue, 22 Aug 2006 00:58:57 GMT

So today was the first day of 2nd year of medical school

The most exciting portion of an otherwise quite boring day of orientation was the realization that Harry Potter has truly warped the minds of this country. MY MEDICAL SCHOOL HAS BEEN DIVIDED INTO HOUSES. Sure, they call them "educational societies" but they aren't fooling anybody. These societies are arbitrary divisions in the school that lump people from all four years together. Sorting hats being hard to come by, they do it alphabetically, but the wiff of wizardly influence is still unmistakable. I'm in the "Keen Society" named after Dr. William Williams Keen, famous for secretly operating on President Grover Cleveland on a yacht. ( http://jeffline.jefferson.edu/SML/archives/collections/finding_aids/keen.html )

During the first ever meeting of the Keen society I of course immediately moved that we change the name to "Gryffindor" but apparently this isn't allowed. While others of my societal brothers and sisters discussed things like service projects and study aids and other useless things I gathered my courage again and insisted that we at least have a mascot and fighting colors. This was somewhat more favorably received, and initial proposals for a fighting winged donkey were popular. However, some elements objected to the Democratic implications, so I may have to settle for a fighting winged horse, or perhaps a fighting winged mule.

Of course, what would be best would be if I could think of some animal that has "Keen" in it's name, or could be related to Keenes...somehow....

This is, of course, a thinly veiled attempt by the alumni office to create another reason to get us misty eyed and contribute money later on. However, if I can get a proper mascot going it will be worth the additional solicitation. Oh, and by the way, that Gross society? (named after Dr. Gross) they think they are all special and whatever because their doctor is in a famous painting. ( http://www.usc.edu/schools/annenberg/asc/projects/comm544/library/images/167.html ) Hah! I say, they're no match for the as-yet-unspecified-flying-fighting-equine! Why...Dr. Gross didn't even believe in sterility... And I don't see any secret presidential operations at sea on HIS resume. We'll show them. We rule.

Wed, 25 Jan 2006 02:53:16 GMT

and the meme goes on

You scored as Zoe Alleyne Washburne. The Soldier. You are the second in command, and that is fine. You like a chain of command, but only when the one in charge has earnt your respect. Those who earn your love or loyalty will find no one better to guard their back.

</td>

Zoe Alleyne Washburne

75%

Kaylee (Kaywinnet Lee) Frye

69%

Inara Serra

69%

Capt. Mal Reynolds

50%

Shepherd Derrial Book

50%

Hoban 'Wash' Washburne

50%

The Operative

50%

River Tam

44%

Simon Tam

25%

Jayne Cobb

13%

Which Serenity character are you?
created with QuizFarm.com

knitted wig

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 04:03:59 GMT

so, because I can never turn down a knitting challenge I knit myself a pink wig, from this pattern I found on the internet. You can see what it's supposed to look like here:

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEfall04/PATThallowig.html

Mine doesn't look like that though. It looks like a silly strange hat. This is not fair. I frequently knit silly strange hats and THEY don't feel the need to go around looking like knitted wigs. Why does this wig think it's so special that it can just go around looking like whatever it wants to? The clear moral of this story is that wigs are not to be trusted. Or possibly that the woman who made this pattern doesn't have round chubby cheeks like mine.

If anybody wants a hot pink strange hat made out of soft cotton that looks like a pink wig if you squint, or possibly if you have not-round cheeks, do let me know.

Kurosawa rocks, and I rant about it

Wed, 18 Jan 2006 00:14:19 GMT

Ok, movie rant time

for all of you out there who can appreciate a nice bit of Japanese violence, you have got to watch the Kurosawa Samurai movies Yojimbo and Sanjuro. They're like highly intellectual westerns. In fact, Yojimbo is pretty much the inspiration for "fist-full of dollars" (A spaghetti western of great fame). Anyway, I think they're better than the Westerns they inspire because instead of an overall atmosphere of manifest destiny they are based in this sense of decay of the Samurai system (and, based on when they're filmed, the millitary defeat of Japan in World War II).

I've been a big fan of Yojimbo for years and now I've finally seen Sanjuro, the sequel, and it's even better than the first one. Toshiro Mifune was a great actor who has a macho swagger any cowboy would kill for and could also actually act. Apparently George Lucas initially considered him for the role of Obi Wan Kenobie. I'm sorry Alec Guinness, you did a nice job in the role and I'll rant about you in another post, but I would have REALLY liked to have seen a dark, cagey, honorable Samurai look those Stormtroopers in the eyes and and say, "these are not the droids you are looking for."

whew! ok, out of my system now

a birthday poem

Sat, 14 Jan 2006 08:55:08 GMT

Here is a little belated birthday poem for me (I'm 2 dozen now!) and anyone else who has a birthday nowish.

Karle Wilson Baker

Let Me Grow Lovely

Let me grow lovely, growing old--
So many fine things do:
Laces, and ivory, and gold,
And silks need not be new;
And there is healing in old trees,
Old streets a glamour hold;
Why may not I, as well as these,
Grow lovely, growing old?

P.S. drunk with all this power, I may post more poems at later dates! you are warned!

TV is my enemy

Sun, 08 Jan 2006 18:36:48 GMT

Yet another shred of innocence was shed last night when I turned on the TV. I KNOW I shouldn't do that sort of thing, it never ends well. Anyway, I saw my Yoga instructor, who I have always thought was really cool, on a dating show. It wasn't as bad as it could have been since she wasn't actually dating anyone, but it was still pretty bad. The people were going on a "yoga date" where Dhyana was sending them through partner yoga poses that were supposed to make them bond. Very messed up. This was complete with commentary from the woman about how now she had a spiritual connection with the guy and the guy looking wierded out. Reality TV shows are NOT allowed to intrude into my reality. My yoga studio should remain sacred.

Wheeee!

Sun, 08 Jan 2006 18:23:26 GMT

See? I did it, I have actually gotten a livejournal. I know you are all proud of me. Now all I have to do is figure out how on earth this thing works. I tell ya, it's a wild exciting world.