The Internet Is Fun!

At long last!  Apple has released its Magic Mouse.  Sleek, savvy, and it even comes with Bluetooth technology, eliminating the need to plug anything in!  The great American consumer part of me wants it so badly...

Both Katie and Riel separately sent me the link to the LOLCat Bible Translation Project.  How do my friends know me so well?

When I first heard of the movie Avatar, I thought that it sounded pretty lame.  But then they released the theatrical trailer, and I realized that it is exactly the kind of movie that I would love.  Aliens, fantasy worlds, and over-budgeted action scenes?  I'm sold!

Sunrise Fail

Well, okay, the sun didn't exactly fail to rise today.  It just didn't do it the way it was supposed to.  According to the weatherman, this morning was going to be partly cloudy, making for perfect conditions to take sunrise photos.  I trekked my way over to the Lawn at 7am this morning in the dark, only to discover when the sun came up that there were NO CLOUDS TO BE SEEN.  Despite the lack of vibrant colors that I had been hoping for, I still had a lot of fun playing with different apertures and shutter speeds on my camera, so the sunrise did not go to waste.  To see some of my extremely amateur photography, check out my Facebook album, The Lawn at Dawn.  It rhymes!

Completely Gratuitous

Paul just sent this to me, and I thought it would be a shame to keep it to myself.

Procrastination, cont'd

I have been to Africa.
I have seen the Rolling Stones in concert.
I have hiked the entire Rivanna Trail in one day.
I have performed for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
I have resected an upper left lobe of the lung in the operating room.
I have graduated with the honors of Honor.
But I have not carved a pumpkin.

...until last night!   Christina, Lee, and I made jack-o'-lanterns into the wee hours of the morning, and it was one of the most exciting things I've done in my entire life.  I don't know how I never did it growing up or in college, but I made up for it by creating an awesome jack-o'-lantern with vampire fangs.  Because, you know, vampires are totally the cool thing nowadays.  ZOMG Robert Patterson!  [drool...]

Just kidding, I hate everything about the Twilight saga.  True Blood, on the other hand...

Sew: A Needle Pulling Thread

Classes have started back up, but that doesn't mean that I've started doing work yet.  I spent last night putting the final touches on my Halloween costume.  I'm really excited, because this is the first time I've really made my own costume (almost) out of scratch.  I would be lying if I said I wasn't proud of how far it has come, even though most of it is Chrissy's handiwork.  I'll be sure to post pictures of it this weekend.

But seriously, thanks to Chrissy, my own personal Martha Stewart.  Well, minus the whole securities fraud and obstruction of justice debacle.  Right?

Designated Driver

I was just leaving Chrissy's apartment, where we had been working on my Halloween costume, when I suddenly heard a girl scream, "WAIT!"  I rolled down the window to see what she needed, only to discover a drunk girl in lederhosen asking for a ride to Christian's Pizza.  After helping me pull out of my extremely tight parallel parking spot, she introduced herself as "Puv."  Well, that's what it sounded like anyway; it was hard to hear what she was saying through all of the popcorn she was stuffing in her mouth.

Here is how part of our conversation in the car went:

Puv(?): I want to go to CHRISTIAN'S!
Sam: Yes, that's where I'm taking you.
Puv(?): Where are YOU going?
Sam: I'm actually on my way home, but I pass Christian's, so it's no big deal.
Puv(?): Where do you live?
Sam: Off of JPA.
Puv(?): In JPJ?
Sam: No, off of JPA.
Puv(?): In JPJ!?
Sam: No, off of JPA.
Puv(?): Oh, I don't know where that is.
Sam: It's on the other side of grounds.
Puv(?): You're a very sweet boy.  CHRISTIAN'S!!!

I mean it when I say that I hope Puv(?) found her friends at Christian's and isn't passed out in a ditch somewhere.  Because that might very well be the case right now.

Gotta Catch 'Em All!

My Game Boy Color came in the mail while I was in West Virginia, and needless to say, all I've done since my return to Charlottesville is play Pokemon Yellow.  No, seriously, it keeps track of how long you've been playing, and I'm already up to 8 hours and 34 minutes now.

Thank goodness I went to go see Paranormal Activity with Josh and Matt today, or else I wouldn't have left my computer chair.  Then again, I kind of wish I hadn't seen the movie.  Now, every time there's a bump or a creak in the house (which is once every ten minutes), I think I'm being haunted by a demon.

I wish I could be haunted by a Pokemon instead!?

We Are Conquerors

I just got back from one of the greatest road trips OF ALL TIME.  Seven of us celebrated the end of midterm exams by renting a bunch of wetsuits and driving to West Virginia, where we rafted the New River.  Amazingly, none of us fell in (although I would have, if Randy our river guide hadn't pulled me back into the boat at the last minute), and we all came back relatively unscathed.

It's kind of crazy, but I was back in Charlottesville only 48 hours after I left.  During that time, I (1) went camping, (2) whitewater rafted, (3) spent the night at Lee's house, (4) visited the Virginia Safari Park, and (5) explored Foamhenge.  These were probably the most action-packed two days of my entire life.

I Am Invincible

Finally, exams are over!  Time to kick back and relax... and take a trip down the New River.  Because if I survived exams, then surely camping in 40 degree weather and rafting down class 5 rapids can't bring me down.  Sickawesome!

I Win!

According to my account information, the last time I made a purchase on eBay was over three years ago.  Well, not anymore!  I just bid on and won a Game Boy Color with three games for only $32.48 including shipping.  And guess what?  One of those games is Pokemon Yellow!  ZOMG, I'm such a nerd.  Also, I'm pretty sure I'm actually regressing into a perpetual childlike state.  And I'm okay with it.

Speaking of childhood, I don't think I can ever look at Luxo, Jr. the same way after seeing this video.

Inspiration

I just got off of the phone with my mom, who is in China taking care of my grandpa.  He had two-thirds of his stomach resected a week ago to remove a gastric adenocarcinoma, but he's been doing very well since the operation.  My mom kept talking about what a great man his surgeon is, and she also told me this story about my other grandpa, who was a famous orthopedic surgeon in Beijing.

One day, when my grandpa was still a young doctor, a man came into his hospital with a severe leg trauma.  All of the doctors agreed that they would need to amputate, and unfortunately, the patient didn't get much say in what kind of treatment he would be receiving.  My grandpa protested, saying that there was no way a farmer from the outskirts of Beijing would be able to provide for his family if he wasn't able to harvest the crops.  He decided to operate on the man and try to save his leg, against the recommendations and wishes of all of his colleagues.  Several months later, the patient was able to walk again and returned to his family.

Back then, everyone was poor, and the farmer had no way to repay my grandfather for his kindness.  So once every year, he would walk from his home to visit my grandpa, carrying on his back a bushel of corn in order to show his appreciation.

I've been kind of lost in my studying over the past few weeks, and I would be lying if I said I haven't let it get to me.  It's nice to be able to sit back and remember why exactly I'm here where I am now, and it's because I want to be half the doctor that my grandpa was.

I Have a Dream

Last night, I dreamed that I had a lot of ear wax.  I spent hours trying to remove all of it, but it just kept coming.  Eventually I had to go to class, but there was still more wax in my ear canal.  I sat next to Matt in class, and he got really grossed out because I couldn't stop picking at my ears during the lecture.

And that, my friends, is what goes on in my subconscious.

I'm Embarassed to Admit This

I just spent the last half hour looking for a Pokemon ROM that would work with the Game Boy Advance emulator I downloaded for my MacBook.  If you don't understand what that last sentence meant, then you are much better off in this world than me.  The worst part is that each time I tried one of them ROMs, VirtualBoyAdvance would just crash on me.  Guess I won't be playing Pokemon on my laptop anytime soon.  That's probably a good thing, since I still have two more exams to take, huh?

Okay, last one!

Seeks/Accepts/Provides Feedback to/from Others

Too many slashes

Don't know what they're asking for

I think I did this

A Brief Respite

When you start your day off with Dr. Cohen's Psychiatry exam, there's really nowhere to go but up.  And what better way to celebrate being 3/5 of the way done with midterms than by cleaning my room?  I've accumulated so many papers over the past few weeks, and I must say, filing them into their appropriate folders was probably the most gratifying thing I've done this entire week.

Okay, on to studying Pathology.  My life will be fun again one day.

Positively Contributes to the Learning of Others

I have learned from you

We all have different strengths

You have learned from me

The Great Depression

No, not that Great Depression.  The one I'm entering right now, as I realize that I am most likely going to fail my Psychiatry midterm.  I definitely did not see this one coming.  I'm actually interested in Psychiatry and enjoyed the course... until I got a 48% on the practice test and found out that I didn't know anything at all.  Please, somebody pass me an SSRI to suppress my psychomotor agitation (how about Fluoxetine?).  I wouldn't mind having a benzodiazepine on hand tomorrow either, just in case I start having a panic attack during the test (Lorazepam for me, please).

Promotes a Positive Atmosphere of Learning

Never serious

Always eating during class

But I want to learn

Testing Anxiety

During the Immunology exam, I noticed that the answers to five questions in a row were "DECAD," but unfortunately the answer to the next question was not the letter E.  Then I started wondering to myself what the longest word is that you can spell using just the five letters found on a scantron.  So far, the longest ones I can think of are "decade" and "beaded," both six letters.

I've also added some links to a few new blogs I've been enjoying.

Bowman in Arabia
My friend Bowman is in Arabia.  Specifically, he is teaching at a boarding school in Jordan.  His life is infinitely more fascinating than mine.

lauren's journal
My friend Lauren is working in a lab at Harvard (ooh, fancy).  Her adventures in Boston are also more fascinating than mine here in quiet little Charlottesville.

The Edinburgh Experience
My friend Jason is doing a fourth year rotation abroad in Edinburgh.  So in addition to actually being on the wards instead of in the library, he's helping patients in Scotland.  I'm not even going to say it this time.

wo long nu? 2.0
I'll be honest, I'm not actually friends with Angela, as I've only met her once.  But, according to Christin, she's "as close to a female version of [me] that I've ever met."  This must mean she's awesome.  This is version 2.0 of her blog because she's living in China, where her original website on Blogger is blocked (of course).

Respects the Opinions of Others

I don't know it all

So I support your ideas

We are family

Freak Out

The Immunology exam begins in less than seven hours, and I'm only on Lecture 16 out of 17.  Plus, I haven't even looked at the Methods or the Cases handouts.  WHY AM I BLOGGING!?

asdfjkl;asdfjkl;asdfjkl;asdfjkl;asdfjkl;

Shoot me now.

Participates Fully

Reading and Typing

Offering suggestions too

I'd say I'm involved

This Is It

Every time I think of Michael Jackson, I think of how Travis and I requested his music at Short Stop, the only bar on the island of San Salvador where we spent two weeks studying marine biology.  I also think of how the DJ only had one song by him, "Billy Jean," and how he just played it over and over again.  Okay, so he wasn't the world's greatest record spinner, but at least his heart was in the right place.

Anyway, Michael Jackson's new song, "This Is It," was just released yesterday on his website, and I like it a lot.  Check it out below:

Comes Prepared to All Sessions

I read all the notes

So I can help diagnose

Let's use VINDICATES

Hard Decisions

There are times in a man's life when he has to make some difficult choices.  I am that man and right now is that time.  Should I stay at the library and continue pretending to study for my Immunology exam while actually searching the internet for adult footed pajamas, or should I go watch Full Metal Jacket with Lee and Steph?

96% on Rotten Tomatoes?  I'm sold.

Crap, Neil just told me that it's three hours long.  I'm backing out.

Yes, this post is in REAL TIME.

I think I'm going crazy.

Ability to Engage in Self-Evaluation

It's easy for me

To criticize myself when

I write in haikus.

A Look Into Our Minds

Josh, Coop, and I take a pretty unconventional approach to studying Pharm.  Everyone else I've spoken to basically stares at the charts until they memorize every fact.  Since I'm terrible at that kind of stuff, we've decided to come up with ridiculous stories to help us remember each drug.  A few examples:

Scopolamine (muscarinic antagonist)
Indication: sedative, relief of motion sickness
Randy used Scope bottles to sneak alcohol onto the cruise, and you get motion sickness and tired when you're rocking back and forth on a boat.

Sibutramine (amphetamine-related drug)
Indication: weight loss
Sigh, my butt is so big that it's ramming into things.

Omalizumab (IgE monoclonal antibody)
Indication: anti-inflammatory, relief of asthma
Oh mah God, there's a lizard crawling down my throat!  I need a monoclonal antibody to prevent blinding of IgE to my mast cells and basophils!

Use of Resource Materials

Wikipedia

Is not as good a resource

As CMDT

Free Fudz

Why is it that the most exciting part of my day, every day, involves food?  I broke my marathon of studying twice today: once to go to the Medical School Alumni Association Tailgate for lunch, and once to go to the UVA Alumni Association Young Alumni Reunion for dinner.  Both events had amazing and unlimited food and drinks, which I could not fully enjoy since I had to get back to studying at the library, where I am once again.

I swear, my life has become so dreary that even reading my blog posts depresses me.  I just have to make it through 11 more days...

Interpersonal Communication Skills

I like to make jokes

Sometimes no one laughs at them

Still, we get along

I Can't Take You Anywhere

Liz:  That is the fattest squirrel I've ever seen!  I wonder if I can touch it!  [runs after squirrel, jumps to pet it as it runs through the tree branches]

Today has been quite possibly one of the saddest days of my life.  My spirits peaked at noon when a group of us fulfilled our tradition of eating lunch at China King Buffet on the Friday before exams start.  The rest of the day consisted of me sitting in HSL 1329 studying Pharmacology with Josh and Coop.  Around 9pm, the text messages from my friends who were back in town for tomorrow's Homecoming game started rolling in, driving me into a deeper depression than I ever predicted.

Knowledge Base

What is that disease?

It's on the top of page four.

Names I can't recall.

Poetry in Medicine

Today was our last small group POM-2 session before we switch to new groups and new mentors, so of course we ended with the obligatory self- and peer-evaluation.  There were a total of eleven areas that we had to address, and I decided to be different and do it not in paragraph form, but in haiku.  At the end of my presentation, there was a pregnant pause.  Finally, my mentor broke the silence and said, "Well, that was a first."  I think he liked it, though, because he laughed at each poem as I read them aloud.  He also told us a story about a resident who one day made all of the medical students present their patients using haikus.

For the next few days, I will include a haiku to in each post.  Enjoy!

Problem Solving Skills

Give me a problem
I think that I can solve it

It takes me a while

Nothing to Say

Since I spent the majority of the day in the library, I can honestly say that I did nothing of interest today.  In fact, the most exciting thing to happen to me in the past 24 hours was finally getting to see what the Geekologie writer looks like in this post.  Josh claims he's posted a photo of himself before, but I don't think it counts because the picture was so small that you could barely see his face.

No, seriously, that's all I have to say.

See Spot Run

As of yesterday afternoon, Titan and I are officially entered in the Pack It Out Canine 5K.  It's the last in the Charlottesville Canine Run/Walk series, which is comprised of four trail races put on by the Charlottesville Running Company.  I would have entered the other races as well, but I only heard about them from Liz two weeks ago.  Anyway, I'm pretty excited, and I've started myself (and Titan) on a training schedule consisting of various short runs, long runs, and interval workouts.

I'm especially pumped for this race because some guy named Blake Puhak from Richmond and his dog Jocelyn have won the first three 5Ks this year.  I will be kind of sad for Blake if he doesn't get to win all four races, but I'll be much less sad if I'm the one who gets to take him down.

The only problem is I need to figure out a way to keep Titan concentrated on running and prevent him from chasing after every squirrel he sees.  Today while we were running down Ivy Road, he saw a squirrel sitting on the edge of a low brick wall and ate it.  Well, he would have, if I hadn't made him put it down.  It was the most bizarre thing I'd ever seen... the squirrel didn't try to run away from us, and it didn't even freak out while Titan had it clenched between his jaws.  Maybe the squirrel was suffering from Major Depressive Disorder with Suicidal Ideation.  Sigh.

Brilliant Idea

Angie: if you ever have your own website, can it be .nom instead of .com

It can and it will.

I Failed My Pathology Quiz

But, instead of dwelling on my frustration, I will continue to reminisce about my days at the Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies.  Or, as the students and faculty always referred to it, MLWGSGIS (pronounced muh-luh-wuh-giss-giss).

Everyone who went to our high school was a nerd.  Sure, some of us were geekier than others, but at least it was a place where we all fit in.  I mean, at what other high school in Richmond is it cool to join the Model UN club, compete in international Math Modeling contests, try out for the We the People competition team, and learn how to write in HTML?

Okay, so I did everything on that list except for learning how to write in HTML.  Luckily, several of my friends did and went on to design layouts for everyone else's blog (I told you we were all nerds).  Below are some of my favorite Jungle Adventure! layouts, which put my current one from Free WP Themes to shame:

3. Featuring the Cast of Scrubs.  This was designed and encoded by Stevie, who watched Scrubs as religiously as I did.  Except I loved the show so much that I actually decided to go into the medical profession.  What was I thinking??

2. Sammas-gotchi.  This pop-up window layout was designed and encoded by Tina, who based it on Tamagotchi, the popular digital pet from middle school.  Each of the icons at the bottom led you to a different section of the site (Past Lives refers to Archives, and if you hovered your mouse over the other four Tamagotchis, you would see that they brought you to Home, About Me, Photos, and Links).

1. Fortune Sammas.  By far my favorite layout, also designed and encoded by Tina.  This was also the picture that I put on the cover of my Personal Anthology, a huge English project that we all had to do during our junior year.  Simple and easy on the eyes, wouldn't you agree?

It's Been Five Years?

I should be at my five year high school reunion, but instead I'm sitting at home typing up my patient interview write-up and studying for my pathology quiz tomorrow.  This would be one of those moments when I really hate being in medical school.  Oh well, I guess I'll have to wait for our ten year reunion.  In the meantime, I'll continue stalking my high school friends that I no longer speak to via Facebook.

In honor of those glory days gone by, I have decided to show you what is (embarassingly) one of my posts from the blog I kept in high school.  This one is dated September 26, 2002, which is over seven years ago.  You'll notice that I was borderline insane as a teenager.

Welp, today was a relaxing day. Except for the fact that I still can't find the tupperware that I left at school on Monday. Poopie in my pants!!

ACHOO!! All today I've been sneezing ACHOO!! my head ACHOO!! off.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! Tonight was NBC's Premiere Night for all its Thursday night shows. I missed them so much over the summer! I think it's a good idea to be addicted to something that isn't drugs. So, when people ask me, "What's your anti-drug?" I'll say, "NBC's Must-See-TV Thursdays!" and they'll think I'm really weird, except I'm not, but they'll think I am, but I won't be. Clever, eh?

Fall Festival tomorrow! Everybody stand up and dance!

It's a Beautiful Day

Yo Keith Urban, I'm real happy for you and I'ma let you finish, but U2 had one of the best concerts of the year.  OF THE YEAR!!

I just got back from the 360° Tour at Scott Stadium, and it was quite a spectacle.  Mostly because there was a giant thing in the middle of the field that looked like some weird alien spaceship-claw vending machine hybrid.  I had a great time, even though I only knew half of the songs they played.  The only thing that would have made the concert better is if I had gotten high on V beforehand.  Then I would have totally felt like one with Mother Gaia...

Okay, I promise that I won't make any more True Blood jokes after this.*

*My fingers were totally crossed when I wrote that sentence.