Iconoclasts

I was watching a show called Iconoclasts a few nights ago. It's an interesting series where each episode, two people are paired and interviewed together. The one that I saw was an interview and documenting of the relationship between Lorne Michaels, the founder of SNL, and Paul Simon. It was awesome hearing their backgrounds and how they got to where they are today. But one thing that Lorne said really stuck with me. He said that "for the most part, the best times in life are a surprise. We are brought up to believe that when you're 18-24, you're in your golden years. That's simply not true."
I've been feeling, rather subconsciously, a worry that I'm ending my golden years and barely beginning a career. I haven't accomplished much with my life, gone the places I would like to go, or become the kind of person I would like to be. But Lorne was 30 when he started SNL, and even then, it took time and lots  of hard work before it became what it is today. And as I watched him and Paul Simon interact I understood that it takes time to amass experiences, knowledge, and relationships, and these things in turn breed creativity. So it seems the natural course of action for someone who hopes to lead a creative life is to live fully! Take advantage of any job/school/situation and squeeze what there is to be squeezed out of it. And that makes me feel better about who I am and where I'm at.


and my song of the day (more like the month) is:
Televators - The Mars Volta

More to come...

I've been quite absent from this thing for a while. There were finals. And then there was Fable II. But I'll be a bit more consistent now that I'm on break!
For now, my song of the day:

A Fractured Hand by Despised Icon

Yes, this may be an unpopular choice and yes, the vocals aren't great, but man, you can't beat a song that's one huge breakdown.

'nother quick Song of the Day

Blood in Your Mouth by Colour Revolt

I had my iTunes library on shuffle today and this song came on. I think that this is one of my favorite songs of all time, so even though other good stuff came on, this took the cake. Super intense, beautiful, good lyrics, sort of the whole package in my opinion.
For more Songs of the Day check out Matt's blog....

Just a quick one

Sorry it's been so long. Finals and all. I've got a couple of longer ones coming up. Today is just...

Song of the Day. To make up for the shortness of the post, the song is extra long, but well worth the listen.


#8 aka Popplagio by Sigur Ros

...

Class today

The complexity of one my classes changed drastically this week. Yesterday I had my last Biochemistry test. The second part of the class is called Nutrition. I'll give you a sample slide from each, and this is no joke.
Biochemistry:

 Nutrition:

So this morning has been, slow, hence the blogging. Unfortunately, the content of Nutrition is quite disheartening. It paraded pictures of all of the things I love eating and gave them a big academic spanking, as well as making me extremely hungry. If you want an idea of what these foods are, Matt frequently writes about them, so check it out.

shmee...

I'm slowly getting used the fact that I have to study all day most Saturdays. Getting to study in a room with this view is helping that a little.

 

This helps... but I'd still rather not have to study on Saturdays. 

This is going to hurt my popularity in the polls...

I don't think I like holiday seasons. The excessive decorations, the "themed" aisles in Walgreens, the paraphernalia, etc. And I also realized that I don't like carving pumpkins. I enjoy looking at carved pumpkins, but the event of carving them really isn't that fun. Think about it. There's a lot of pressure to come up with something unique and creative to carve. Once that's done, there's the actually drawing/carving of the pumpkin, which quickly dashes all hopes of something awesome, as my art skills haven't progressed past my kindergarten fingerpainting days. Followed by the grueling work that is cutting through the pumpkin rind. Couple that with the fact that on Saturday, my carving tool was a tiny broken saw blade that shredded all the skin on my thumb and index finger and you can begin to see how I may not have enjoyed myself. But I also felt a bit guilty, because I felt like I should be loving it because it's the fall/Halloween season. No more.
And I'll save my thoughts on Christmas for Christmas. But I will just say that I despise Christmas music. They are some of the most mind-numbing songs ever created, and there is a grand total of 6 of them, which are remixed, reinterpreted, rerecorded, (aka long ago beaten to death) by everyone from Amy Grant to August Burns Red. I digress.
I like Thanksgiving. It's a little tamer than the rest, and includes a delicious meal. And now I feel like I'm rambling. So let's wrap this up.

Halloween - wtf? why is it even a thing?
Thanksgiving - good food. And good to be thankful
Christmas - *sigh*
I'll work on making my next post more interesting.

A Dilemma

This past week was my dissection week. My partner and I are only "on call" one week a month, so it's really not bad, but each day we're presented with a dilemma. And my dilemma is the following: should we chew gum in the cadaver lab?
We both have done it in the past, and had multiple people ask us how we could chew gum while tearing away globs of oily fat from our cadaver's gut? I guess I have the same question. But first, let me set the scene.
Cadaver labs are not pleasant places to be. There are four large rooms that are all connected. They are lit by fluorescent lights and are filled with 30+ large steel containers, each one housing a body. Of course, to preserve the bodies, they have all been filled with formaldehyde among other things. The smell is overwhelming and seeps in to all your pores and doesn't come out. But, we have to dissect really small veins and arteries, and often times it's hard to see what you're doing without getting right up into the body, face inches away from a spleen. And (for all you with weaker dispositions, perhaps read no more), it is not uncommon to get splattered with formaldehyde or pieces of tissue/fat/janketyjankjank.
In situations like this, I tend to breathe through my nose because I don't like the idea of ingesting the bad smell through my mouth (even though I know it's the same air going the same place blah blah). But breathing through my nose means that I smell all the terrible smells coming from the body, which doesn't always sit well with my stomach. Chewing gum at least gives me a good taste in my mouth, which generally combats the bile rising in my throat pretty well.
So I think I answered my question. I'd rather chew gum in the cadaver lab. It's the one non-disgusting thing anywhere near me. Even though yes, it is gross to be simulating eating something while in close proximity to a deceased elderly gentleman whom I have cut into many pieces. There's just no way around that. So judge away.

Or... you probably don't care because you'll never be in this situation. But I bet you enjoyed picturing all of this in the same way you can't look away from a car crash or someone falling.
You're welcome

Rainy Day Blues

I don't mind rainy days. Rainy vacation days are actually perfect. I love being cozy, play board games, feel lazy, etc. etc. etc. But rainy days can also suck. Big time. Like today, as a matter of fact.
This morning would have been a perfect vacation rainy day. It was dark, quiet, and perfect for staying home. Instead I had to hop on my bike and ride through it, looking like the biggest dork you could imagine in a bright yellow raincoat. Oh yea, and I was riding Heather's bike because mine's broken. Sweet. The raincoat kept my top half dry, but didn't protect from the spray of my tires, so my crotch was and is still wet...which is very uncomfortable. Anyway, I made it to class late, so I went down to the computer lab to print out notes and to maybe watch a lecture. I turned Pandora on and plugged in my headphones. I couldn't hear anything so I turned it up to what I thought was a reasonable volume. The music sounded a little muffled but I wasn't really thinking about it until it hit me....there was a reason why everyone kept turning around and looking at me. The music wasn't coming through my headphones at all but was cranking out of the computer. And I, like a total idiot, just sat there thinking I was alone in my little world.
It's been a total loser day, and it's only 11. Hopefully not too much more can happen just sitting in class til 4. Hopefully...

Weekends

Historically weekends have been the best. A blessed break from attending classes, getting up and going to work, and going to bed on time. But med school has flipped the concept of the weekend (as well as other things), entirely on its head. Now, instead of it being a break from routine and responsibility, it is an unbroken stretch of time in which you can wade through all the studying you put off (cause you had the weekend of course!) And so instead of being a time of rest, the weekend days become the longest, most grueling days of the week, and Mondays (now the new Fridays) are a welcome relief.
Having said all of that. I'm preparing for a long and monotonous weekend full of studying biochemical pathways, so my brain can vomit them all over a piece of paper Monday morning, and then, with shaking hands and watering eyes, take that wondrous afternoon off.
The only problem with Monday being the new Friday is that it is followed by Tuesday, and not Saturday.

C'est la vie

Distractions

I have a lot of studying to do. So much, in fact, that I should be exhausted and bleary-eyed from reading, taking notes, and looking at a screen. I'm feeling great, though. Well-rested, pretty content (other than the ever-growing dread growing in the back of my mind) and I have my distractions to thank for it! Let me explain:
I get home from school. I convince myself that after a long day of sitting in class I need to rest my brain (which isn't true because I have class distractions too). So I do various relaxing activities. Like scroll through iTunes to figure out what I want to listen to. Watch SNL shorts on Hulu. Lie on the floor, etc. And then Heather comes home. So I have to spend time with her. After dinner I decide it would be nice to digest a little. So we watch a Friends episode. But goodness knows you can't just watch one. So a couple of hours later it's nearly 10, and I really am starting to get tired. So I try to work for a while (to ease the dread), end up convincing myself that I'm not really absorbing much anyway, so I might as well get a good night's sleep.
And so the cycle goes.
But the reality that I have a huge test on Monday doesn't ever change. And I know that all the work I'm not doing now I have to make up in the ever-fewer days before Monday. And that those days are being made more and more miserable by my distractions.
The upside to those brutal days, though, is that when someone asks I can say "yes, I've studied for 10 straight hours today" which sounds very impressive. It's not. I'm an idiot. And have just spilled all my secrets. Which is exactly why everyone says to be careful with what you put on the Internet, because it can come back to haunt you.
I feel discouraged now that I've written all this (aside from the fact I spent the last 20 minutes writing this instead of studying, and now am going to bed). Maybe I'll have Heather instill the little kid eating rule. As in "you have to study for as many minutes as you are old before you can have a break" rule.
Yea, ask me how that's going next time you see me,

dan

Hello blogging world...

I've never been a very prolific writer, but have always loved doing it. I'm also not very disciplined, so any attempt at keeping a journal failed after I had found a really cool notebook and beat it up to make it look weathered and awesome. So I have been thinking of ways that I could get myself into the habit of writing down thoughts, ideas, events, etc.
When I first heard about blogs they held little appeal to me. I guess they don't really now either, but it does seem like a good tool for people who would like to write more, spend a good amount of time on their computer, and are always in need of a good distraction. And here I am. Writing my first post on my first blog.

Hoping it won't be the last,

Dan