In reference to the infrequency of my posting

Sorry about that. I've had some stuff to figure out and argue about and cry about. Things aren't fully resolved yet, but when they are, I'll post some details...or at least an outline.

As for other things...I finally got ahold of the lady in charge of this program with which I thought I'd be involved. However, after months of not talking to me, it turns out the funding fell through. So, I am at a loss for my summer plans. Part of me (and some other ppl I've talked to) thinks I should take a summer off. I haven't had a "vacation" in a LONG time. But, this is my last summer before my life kicks into "full-time" mode and part of me thinks I should add to my resume. I look at what my classmates are doing and the thought of going home to be lazy (in a gym-attending kinda way) seems a little silly. I dunno. I've contacted some more ppl about stuff to do in South Dakota, but it's not exactly a wealth of opportunities. There is plenty I could do out here I suppose, but then I don't get to go home. So I guess it boils down to 1) go home, go to Valleyfair/concerts/etc and overall, do the things I didn't do during my previous 4 summers 2) go home, do something educational like take a summer class or attend medical seminars n stuff 3) go home, try and find something medically related to do 4) go home and just get a job that would pay me, regardless of actual relevance 5) stay in baltimore and do something

Any thoughts?

Happy Birthday Chris!

Chris is 25 today! Hooray! Well actually, he says his "birthtime" is still a ways away...something like 11:30pm. He credits it with his preference for the nighttime and general "darkness." I'm not sure about that... I think that's because he's the undead of the vampire variety.

Happy Birthday Christopher!

Speaking of Angelina...

I finally watched Cyborg 2 tonight. I've actually had it for awhile, but hadn't gotten around to watching it. For those who didn't know, it's one of her early works (1993) back when she was super-skinny in that Fiona Apple way. Anyway, I think I might nominate this movie for the most inappropriate score for a movie. The music at the end, when all the "resolution" was happening, was a kinda of "semi-triumphant" march...weird...Jack Palance was in this movie. Everynow and again, images of Billy Crystal saying "Hellllooo" would pop into my head. hehehehe There is a fight scene toward the end, which actually was pretty good. It was a 3 round fight and both round 1 and round 2 managed to get nut-shots in. Of course the second one was actually a kick...sucks for that guy. ;) Also of note: Angelina is once again topless (surprise, surprise). However, the most interesting thing is that the lucky guy in the Angelina sex-scene (think somewhere between Original Sin and Gia) was none other than Elias Koteas...Yes, that's right: the guy who's grabbing her breasts is Casey Jones of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fame. I bet he puts that on his resume.

Angelina update

She was just named FHM's sexiest woman. Of course, we're not surprised. Jennifer Garner was number 2, also a good choice. However, Paris Hilton as number 3 is just baffling. Is she even that pretty? Doesn't skank subtract some points? Wait...maybe not...*sigh*

What do you guys think?

Ok, here's where I'm at with the apartment-ness: The apt building I saw has some possible openings, but it's all kinda come down to this one apt. It's bigger than I had originally thought I needed, but 1300ish sq ft does sound nice. :) Rent is fine. There is street parking or you can pay for a spot in the lot (70/month), but I'm not sure what the situation on getting to school is. It's not so far (2 miles-ish). However, if I drive to school I probably need to continue paying for parking (105/month). Or, I can utilize the public transport system. The closest bus stop is 2 blocks away, but I think I'd have to transfer...maybe even 2 times. There is a "subway" system that is only one line and there is a stop (not sure how many blocks away) kinda in the area, and maybe Chris could drop me off there. The lightrail system is good and is also 2 blocks away. I could take that and transfer to the subway. So, I guess I'm wondering...do I take this good apt? Do I "try out" these options first? Do I just say suck it up and pay the extra parking fee? Or, do I just look for somewhere else? Shesh.

Sometimes you just need to rant

Ok, first point...can't seem to concentrate on this "motor quiz" I have on Friday. I'd like to point out that it is not a quiz if he's scheduled for 2 1/2 hrs and it's worth 30% of your grade. That's a test. Just call it what it is. Is that so hard?

Second, if someone sends you a business email, I think it's reasonable that you'd get an e-mail back within the month. Ok, maybe I'll cut you a slack with the holiday and all that, but seriously, it's been awhile. I know people are busy, but that's just ridiculous. If you can't answer e-mail faster than a couple months, you need a secretary or a better one. In any case, I'm annoyed.

In other news...U2 in the fall!!! They'll be in DC 2 days and Minneapolis 1. Oct 19/20 for DC and earlier for MN though I don't remember exactly when. If you ppl want to go, I need to know. The public sale is this Sat morning. I bought 2 tickets in the presale just in case you guys didnt want to go. But if you do, they're good seats so they'll be easy to sell. ;)

And finally, for the more "mature" among you (that mean Felicia avert your eyes!)...the answer to Valentine's Day...Steak and BJ day.

Exciting news

So for those of you who haven't heard yet: my sister Felicia is an alt for nationals in LD debate. She made it to finals for humor as well. And, she got 2nd at State in LD! Hooray!! Student Congress is coming up and it'd be nice if she qualified in that event. In addition to her good speaking skills, she has the whole "pity vote" going for her. I can't wait to go home and show her all my tips for stud cong and binder organization...eep! I'm a nerd!

In other news, I'm going to see the apartment I like tomorrow. It's in the building I saw yesterday, but I haven't seen this actual apartment yet. I'm super excited!

In other apt news- Kennon and Liz might be moving closer to Baltimore. Wheee!

In less exciting news...an annoyance I thought I'd share with you all. I HATE it when people expect you to take a test/write a paper/etc before they return the first one you did. Look, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect feedback before we are evaluated again. Really. This is just ridiculous. Give me my test back...right now. Do it.

Just another way to distract myself from my mid-term

I went to an apartment bldg today to check out some prospective habitations. The apartment she showed me (because the apt above it and below it are opening in June/July) was just ok. However, another apartment that is opening up in July is super-cool. It has a curved wall. I found a floorplan. It's the 2nd 2Bdr (the one with the curved wall ;) ). I won't bore you all with the details, but I'm pretty excited. However, I'm a little conflicted since this is the first building I've visited. Part of me says "screw it" since it has the things I wanted. But, I also can't help think I shouldn't just jump at the first apartment...Of course, I only looked at a couple apartments back in college and it didn't take me so long to decide then either. Eep!

At least the tuition's going to something...

I was talking to David today about how gene therapy and how it works, or at least how it's supposed to work. I hadn't ever tried to explain it before and I found myself actually remembering things I had learned months previously (which is a quite a relief). This combined with a recent comment made by a lecturer about depression in medical students got me thinking about it. He said that when medical school students are depressed, they come to class anyway. Now, for those of you who are less familiar with depression, I'll give you a quick run-down. "Major Depression" is not "just feeling sad." For example, if a loved one were to die, you would go through grief which includes sadness. However, just because you're sad for awhile (even up to a year) doesn't mean you're depressed. Traditionally, clinically diagnosable depression includes symptoms such as: change in appetite (weight loss or gain), change in sleep, loss of concentration and memory, feelings of worthlessness, low mood, loss of pleasure in activities one previously enjoyed, etc. I think this website has a fairly complete list of the DSM IV criteria. Somehow depression is linked to dopamine and its' function as a neurotransmitter, but in fact, no one really knows what's going on. Anyway, I bring all this up because I started thinking about depression would impact someone in medical school as composed to people in graduate and law schools. As it turns out, people in medical school are WAY more likely to become clinically depressed. I think it's something like 3x more. Shesh. So, does that mean medical school self-selects for this kind of person? Or, is it the experience of medical school itself? Well, evidence seems to suggest it's medical school. (Rosal MC, Ockene IS, et al. A longitudinal study of students' depression at one medical school. Acad. Med. 1997;72:542-546. ) In short, people come in "normal" and during the course of medical school many of them develop depression. And, unlike a lot of the general population, even if a student is horribly depressed, he/she does his/her work anyway. I'm not sure where I'm going with this per se, but it seemed important enough to bring up. Depression is fascinating and when you've seen someone with it, you'll never again confuse it with "being sad" (at least in my opinion).

To end on a happier note, Low Millions is a fantastic band and I'm infatuated. Check out this link to hear their album.

I'd also like to wish Felicia and my Mom happy Birthday! (Yes, Felicia is 18, and no you can't date her :P )

This still doesn't excuse his acting

So Hayden Christensen plays the Future Mr. Darth Vader in the Star Wars movies, and we all generally agree the acting's not so good... I've heard he's not bad in everything, but I don't really know much from personal experience. Anyway, they have some Star Wars III stills up and this one is of Hayden and he actually looks like Mark Hamill.

In other news, I had my first neuroscience test today and my brain hurts. In an effort to "reward" myself for studying I stopped by the pharmacy after the test for some snacks. There are a couple chairs for people waiting for prescriptions and this olderish black man was sitting in one. He asked me to come over so he could talk to me and even though my "don't talk to strangers" reflex was kicking, I couldn't really be polite and walk away. So, I went over and he says something and I could've sworn I must have heard him wrong, and I ask him to repeat himself. But alas, I was correct. He did in fact say "I'm a mac, wanna be one of my girls?" At this point I realized that maybe polite doesn't have to be my first priority and I say "no thank you" and start to walk away. I could hear him trying to bribe me as I walked away...I think he offered me a kitty (I almost turned around for that ...) So in short- I think there should be some kind of sash onto which I can place my "merit badges" from city-living. I got propositioned by a pimp in Baltimore, quasi-stalked by a creepy hispanic man in Atlanta, and gotten offers of "cheap, meaningless sex" in Brookings...wait, maybe it's not a city thing after all...