Idiopathies

El Subalicilato de Bismuto

2012-01-27T08:34:00.001-05:00

Whenever I travel, I make sure to bring Pepto Bismol along for the ride, and I never end up having to use it. Of course, the one time I forget to bring Pepto Bismol with me to Guatemala, I suffer from gastrointestinal issues.

Luckily the pharmacies here carry the pink nectar of the gods, and I now swear by the medication. As soon as I started taking it, my symptoms began to improve. Plus, the cherry-flavored oral suspension tastes so good. It's kinda like amoxicillin for adults.

Pepto Bismol: don't leave home without it!

La Chocolatería de Doña Pancha

2012-01-26T09:01:00.001-05:00

Yesterday evening the school sponsored its best excursion yet: a trip to a local chocolate shop. We learned all about the discovery and evolution of chocolate since the time of the Mayans, which was exciting and all, but the real highlight was of course eating the chocolate. Not surprisingly, chocolate fondue with fresh fruit was part of the tasting.

Towards the end of the visit, we were given balls of chocolate dough and had the opportunity to make our own customized chocolate bars. The owner then froze them for us to take home. We all made desserts of different shapes and sizes, but I think Steph's fat baby chocolate was by far the most memorable.

In fact, her creation was so ugly that it broke my camera. Just kidding. Sort of. Sadly, after taking the above photo, my camera did in fact break, although it had nothing to do with Steph's handiwork. The 18-70mm lens that came with my Sony α-200 just started making a really weird grinding noise whenever I turned my camera on or off.

I did a thorough internet search when we got back to Celas Maya, and it turns out the infinity-stop on the lens is not strong enough for the camera's autofocus motor and will at times break with normal use. My options now are to take the remainder of my pictures on the trip either using the manual focus on my regular lens or switching entirely to my wide-angle lens, neither of which is ideal.

On the plus side, now I get to start shopping for a new camera lens. Hooray for the inappropriate use of student loans!

La Tarea

2012-01-25T08:52:00.001-05:00

Each week at Celas Maya we get a new tutor, and this week I'm working with Jessica. I really enjoy her teaching style, because she focuses less on going over the grammatical rules and really spends time practicing with me. This is perfect for me, since I am pretty comfortable with Spanish grammar (it's really not all that different from French grammar), but I forget how to use it in the context of a conversation.

The downside of having Jessica as a tutor is that she also loves giving homework. I mean, LOVES giving homework. On the first night, I had to do two worksheets, watch a video about pediatric cardiac surgery in Guatemala and summarize its content, and write three essays. Lolwut?

Luckily last night I only had to do three pages of exercises on the subjunctive and write two essays, which meant that I actually had time to exercise as well. Steph and I continued our run towards the Santa Maria Volcano, this time making it all the way to the town that sits at the base of the mountain. The run was probably about six miles long, which I'm really proud of, because the longest I can ever recall running in my life is eight miles. On top of that, the first time I had run since May, when I started P90X, was two weeks ago.

Let's hope I didn't push myself too far and give myself shin splints. Warst.

Los Vahos

2012-01-24T08:58:00.002-05:00

Yesterday afternoon's school-sponsored trip was to Los Vahos, a set of saunas heated by the volcanoes near Xela. Sadly, Tracey had been unable to join us for our trip to Las Fuentes Georginas, so the two of us set on the trek towards the saunas with several of the other students at Celas Maya. The hike provided us some pretty good views of the entire city, which is actually much more expansive than I had originally imagined.

I didn't actually enter the saunas when we got there because I had been having stomach problems all day, so I ended up hanging out and talking with some other students who also didn't want to go in. On the walk back, I saw a brown cow. BROWN COWS ARE AWESOME! I tried to get a picture with it, but it literally sprinted away from me as fast as it could.

It's nice to finally get to know other people here, especially some of the other guys. The five of us had pretty much just been doing things exclusively with ourselves the first week, and consequently, I have been surrounded by a lot of (too much?) estrogen. Evan, you need to get over here as soon as possible.

Estoy Adicto

2012-01-23T08:47:00.000-05:00

I used to make fun of Sunny for playing Tiny Tower all the time, even when we were hanging out. But I randomly decided to download it this weekend, and now I completely understand her obsession with the game.

You basically build a skyscraper and move inhabitants in and find jobs for them in the shops that you build. Things even keep happening, like your shops continue to make money, even when the game isn't turned on. It's a nice combination of two of my favorite games from when I was a kid: The Sims and Tamagotchi. Haha, remember Tamagotchis? Oh man, those were the days.

Las Fuentes Georginas

2012-01-22T19:00:00.003-05:00

After yesterday's hike, it only seemed appropriate to treat ourselves to something nice today. We had talked about going to Las Fuentes Georginas, a group of hot springs that are warmed by the nearby Zunil Volcano, as soon as we had arrived. When Kate's host family heard about our plan, they suggested that they take us there in their pickup truck, an offer that we eagerly accepted.

We spent a long time bathing in the different pools, which are naturally unbearably hot. We could barely stand dipping our feet into the hottest pool, which is farthest back in the picture below. The two lower pools are cooled by water that is piped in, and thus are much more comfortable to soak in. I truly cannot recall the last time I've felt so relaxed.

I also can't recall the last time I felt so full. While we bathed in the warm waters, Kate's family prepared us a feast of steak, tortillas, beans, and guacamole. I ate two pieces of steak and helped Kate finish half of hers as well. It was truly a feast for the history books.

So, since I spent half of the day in the waters of Las Fuentes Georginas, I don't have to take a shower this evening, right? Right??

El Volcán Chicabal

2012-01-21T16:48:00.000-05:00

It's finally the weekend, and we took advantage of the opportunity to take a day trip outside of Xela. There are many popular hikes in the area, but we decided to start with one that isn't too difficult. We hired a guide and a bus to pick us up at 6am and take us to the Chicabal Volcano, which is famous for the crater lake in the middle. The ascent was extremely steep, but the view at the top was amazing.

In addition to hiking to the vista, we also went down to the lake itself. It was insanely beautiful; almost eerily so and to the point that it made me feel like it was harboring some dark secret, like the island on Lost.

Many traditionalists still use the several altars surrounding the lake for religious ceremonies. We passed a few as we walked around the lake, and they were fascinating to observe. The man standing at the top right of the picture seemed to be leading the ceremony with his chant. All of it was done on one note except for the last syllable of each phrase, which was a minor third below.

The hike lasted about five hours long, and now I'm absolutely pooped. Perhaps it is time for a nice, relaxing siesta...

La Casa de Yoga

2012-01-20T08:50:00.001-05:00

Since I'm only supposed to run in my FiveFingers every other day for the first month I use them, I needed to find a different form of exercise yesterday. And so, the five of us decided to pay a visit to the local Casa de Yoga after our meeting with Jessica in the afternoon. I was a little worried; unlike the rest of them, I had never taken a yoga class before. In fact, the only form of yoga I'd ever done was Yoga X from the P90X workout.

Luckily, the class ended up being a good level of difficulty for me. I had no trouble with the moving asanas and the strength exercises, but just as with the Yoga X workout, I struggled a lot with the balance postures. It was kind of embarrassing; everyone else (including the four other guys in the class) had no problem standing on one leg while contorting their bodies in unbelievable ways. Meanwhile, my arms were flailing and I threatened to take Steph and Tracey, who were next to me, down with me every single time I fell.

I'm glad we found the yoga studio, and seeing as how each class costs only Q20 (or $2.50), I feel pretty good about doing it on my off-running days.

El Museo Viboz

2012-01-19T08:43:00.001-05:00

Up till now, our ragtag group of five med students has been doing all of its own exploring. Yesterday was the first time we went out on one of the activities sponsored by our Spanish school. I had my reservations, because it was a trip to a museum showcasing classical Guatemalan attire, and weaving isn't really one of my passions, per se.

The girls insisted that we all go, though, and I'm glad that they did. The museum is actually a house in which the family still produces traditional Guatemalan clothes to this day. In addition to teaching us about the history and process of the weaving, we were also allowed to try it ourselves. The girls all had a chance to spin the fabrics together, which was much harder than the owner made it appear.

Since I didn't get to play with the spinning wheel, it fell upon me to work the loom. This was also much harder than the owner made it appear. It took me three tries and at least fifteen minutes to get the right settings on the 52 different threads.

Just when I thought my work was done, I found out that I still had to weave the colored threads through the white ones to create the appropriate pattern, which probably took another ten minutes, even with the owner's help.

Ah, the loom: capable of making me feel less competent than I ever thought possible.

Las Compras

2012-01-18T08:51:00.002-05:00

It's the early morning right before classes start, which means it's time for my daily blogging session. Sort of. It's only the second day I've done it, but as any good Wahoo will tell you, it only requires one occurrence to qualify an event as a "tradition."

We had the entire afternoon off yesterday, so we decided to explore a different area of Xela than the one we live and go to school in. We wandered up to the northeast corner where the large commercial district is located in search of some supplies. We found the Megapaca, which is basically the largest thrift store I've ever seen in my entire life. Goodwill, you've got nothing on these guys. They even sell a towel-turned-into-a-duck. What's there to dislike?

Next door to the MegaPaca is a Walmart, which seemed oddly out of place in Xela. It had all the usual goods you'd expect to find, and not surprisingly, its bland layout didn't inspire me to take any pictures. On the walk back, however, we were excited to stop by the Temple of Minerva, which inspired a brief photo shoot.

The temple to the Roman goddess is oddly out of place, but I kind of like it. Its bizarre presence also reminds me a little of Lost, and that can only ever be a good thing.

El Correr

2012-01-17T08:52:00.000-05:00

I made a commitment to get back in shape after interviews, and I'm sticking to it. I brought my new FiveFingers with me, and I was happy to learn that Steph also wanted to keep running while in Guatemala. Yesterday, we set out on our first trial run.

Xela is indeed beautiful, but unfortunately that does not mean it's easy to run in. The streets are narrow, the sidewalks are narrower, and the hills are simply insurmountable. Of course, that does make for some pretty cool views.

Instead of running through a city packed with pedestrian, motorcycle, and automobile traffic, Steph and I ran outside of the city in the direction of the Santa María Volcano. The way out of town was especially hard, since we started at 2,330 meters (7,655 feet) above sea level and ran basically straight uphill. The way back into town was much nicer, but I'm glad Steph and I are taking it slow until our lungs get acclimated to the high altitude. I truly fear that my blood is going to be like sludge by the time I come back to the States.

Mi Primera Lección

2012-01-16T15:38:00.002-05:00

Today marks our first full day in Xela, as well as our firstset of language classes. Actually,"classes" isn't the right word, because we meet one-on-one with our Spanishtutors for five hours each day. I'mworking with Sheny, who evaluated my level of proficiency this morning andcreated an outline for what we're going to work on this week. I even get homework every night, which makesme feel like I'm 17 years old again.

Sheny and I immediately bonded over the fact that we areboth dog owners. She ooh'ed andahh'ed at my pictures of Titan, and she told me all about her husky at homenamed Ringo (after Ringo Starr, of course). Whoever matched us up either did a great job or a terriblejob, because we literally spent more time talking about Titan and Ringo than wedid on Spanish grammar today. Oops.

¡Estoy Aquí!

2012-01-15T18:16:00.001-05:00

Here I am in Quetzaltanango (or Xela)! My trip here wasn't very eventful. As predicted, I slept the entire flight from Washington to Houston. I tried to do the same on the flight from Houston to Guatemala City, but the woman sitting next to me did everything she could to make sure that didn't happen. I typically enjoy talking to fellow travelers, but not when I'm exhausted and especially not when the fellow traveler tells the most boring stories of all time. I wish she'd picked up on my body language: the reading of a book, the gazing listlessly out the window, the closing of my eyes. But apparently she interpreted this to mean I wanted to hear more stories about her friends that I've never met. Sigh.

Emi, Kate, Steph, and Tracey all arrived in Guatemala City yesterday as well. We enjoyed some local cuisine, spent the night at Patricias Bed & Breakfast, and took a four-and-a-half bus ride this morning to Xela. Jessica, our in-country coordinator, gave us a brief orientation and then set us loose to get some lunch. After indulging ourselves and exploring a little bit of the city, we relaxed in the cafe at Celas Maya, our Spanish school, and waited for our host families to come pick us up.

Of course, everyone else's families have already arrived, and I'm still waiting. On the bright side, I now have time to catch up on e-mails and blogging using the free Internet at Celas Maya. It looks like everything always works out for the best in the end.

Captain's Log

2012-01-14T01:26:00.001-05:00

Sammas is embarking upon yet another excellent journey. This time, the destination is Guatemala, which means "land of the trees" in the Maya-Toltec language.

And in fact, the journey has already begun. My flight leaves Dulles at 6am, and it didn't make sense for me to wake up at 2am to make the two hour drive in order to check in by 4am, so instead my parents dropped me off a little while ago and I'm spending the night at the airport. Sadly, it is very different from Night at the Museum. Also, the check-in counter looks like this:

It would appear that my plan to check my luggage in early and sleep at the gate until it's time to board my plane has been foiled. I guess I'll be doing a lot of napping on the flight instead. Just the way I like it.

Relay

2012-01-12T22:39:00.000-05:00

In a rush to meet Troy and Liz's new golden retriever puppy, I ran out of the house and locked the door behind me... and realized when I got to my car that I had left my keys in my room. I called all of my roommates and was surprised when nobody picked up, seeing as how it's rare for less than two of the six of us to be home at a given time.

After walking around my yard aimlessly for about five minutes, I got a call back from Mo, who told me that he was driving a bus on the Inner Loop and would be at the New Cabell Hall stop in two minutes. How fortuitous! I ran to the bus stop from our house, got there just as he was pulling up, grabbed his keys from him, and ran back to the house.

The kicker? After all that work, it turns out that Timmy was home all along.

So was Titan, but he can't unlock doors because he doesn't have opposable thumbs. Bad dog!

Merry Belated Christmas

2012-01-10T23:31:00.000-05:00

For a long time now, I've been thinking about getting myself a Kindle, but I just haven't been able to commit. Honestly, I know I want one, but the only thing that's holding me back is the cost. Well, today I considered all the pros and cons for a really long time, and then I went to Ragged Mountain Running Shop and bought myself a new pair of shoes.

Hm, that's not where I expected that story to go

During my trip to Boston, I spent a long time talking with one of the residents who had recently begun barefoot running. I know, it's trendy, it's crunchy, and it's the "cool" thing to do right now. But she highlighted all the benefits of barefoot running, many of which are explained in Christopher McDougall's bestselling book Born to Run. Long story short, she convinced me to give it a try.

So, I am now the proud owner of a pair of Vibram FiveFingers KSO.

While these may not turn me into an ultramarathoner, I am hoping that they'll inspire me to start running again. Thanks to interviews, it's been two solid months since I last worked out, and I'm starting to feel really guilty about it...

I Smell a Rat

2012-01-09T09:36:00.003-05:00

I remember fake screennames on AOL Instant Messenger. I occasionally get friend requests from Internet bots on Facebook. But today is the first time I've been scammed using my trusty friend Gmail.

hollisterandrea2: hey
me: hi who is this?
hollisterandrea2: I cant belive you dont remember me
me: sorry dont have you in my contacts, who is this?
hollisterandrea2: hey whats up? 23/F here. youu?

"Belive"? "Youu"? Come on, if you want me to respect you at all, even as a scam artist, at least use proper spelling.

Top Headline

2012-01-08T16:14:00.003-05:00

There are few news sources as ridiculous as Yahoo! News. Whenever I get bored at work, I find myself visiting the homepage to see what stories they've put on the front page. Usually it's sensationalism at its best, like "Which Star Wore This Dress Better" or "Teacher Explains How She Lives Off $20K Salary" or "Most Expensive Mansions In Exotic Countries You've Never Heard Of."

This afternoon, I came across just one of those articles, but it actually proved to be a pretty entertaining read. Then again, anything would be considered entertaining compared to the season finale of Terra Nova. It's so bad, but I just can't stop watching!

So, for your reading pleasure: RuPaul in New Hampshire: 'This country was founded by a bunch of men wearing wigs'

Traveler's Woes

2012-01-07T18:48:00.001-05:00

This morning I arrived at Logan Airport to learn that my flight had been delayed by an hour. There was still a chance that I could catch my connection in Newark, but this glimmer of a hope was stomped out when we were forced to wait on the tarmac for thirty minutes while the air traffic cleared. And so, I was forced to spend three hours in Terminal A of the Newark Airport waiting for the next flight to Richmond. That in and of itself was bearable, but the fact that they don't have free internet was not. Talk about first world problems!

At least Continental Airlines gave me an $8 food voucher for my troubles. I used it to buy a chicken wrap from a sandwich stand... then discovered that with tax it would be $8.51. How is it that airport food is so expensive, anyway?

There were also pigeons flying around the terminal. It is a lul.

But no matter now, I'm back in the Richmond Airport (where there is free internet), waiting for Colleen and Sunny's flights to get in so that we can carpool back to my parents' house for Faux Chinese New Year's. Don't ask me to explain that sentence, because I don't know what's happening in my life.

Done and Done

2012-01-06T22:44:00.004-05:00

It's true: today I completed my last residency interview. I am officially done, and I couldn't be happier. I've loved visiting all of my friends across the country, but the traveling has truly taken its toll on me.

The positive: I managed to achieve my goal of never paying for a hotel room. Aside from the one interview in Cincinnati that paid for my lodging, I crashed entirely with friends and couchsurfers.

The negative: I failed to achieve my goal of only using frequent flyer miles and never paying for airfare. I had to purchase a one-way flight from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh and for this weekend's flights to and from Boston. But hey... buying two plane tickets for 13 interviews? I can't really complain.

And now to figure out my rank list... crap.

Checked Out

2012-01-05T21:25:00.001-05:00

I had to write a check to the International Studies Office to cover my Guatemala trip expenses today, and when I tore it out, I found that it was the last one in the packet. This is only the second pack I've gone through in my entire life, which should give you an idea of how often I write checks. Let's take a stroll down memory lane and see what other checks I've written.

#101. Albert Einstein College of Medicine - Ah yes, the $100 check you had to send in with every secondary medical school application submitted. Man, I do not miss those days.

#102. Phi Beta Kappa - My $80 membership dues. Yeah, I'm a nerd, so what?

#103. Cravens & Noll - To pay $750 to the attorney who defended me when I was charged with reckless driving for going 81mph in a 65mph zone. Not my brightest moment.

#104. VCU - I can't believe I had to pay them $5 for a copy of my dual enrollment transcript, or that they wouldn't accept a credit card for the transaction.

#105. Kathy - I paid her $25 for a CD of all of the headshots she took of me for the Jefferson Scholars Foundation Annual Report. Worth it.

#106. City of Charlottesville - $15 for what I can only assume was a parking ticket. Poop.

#107. Mulholland Society - Given the crazy amount of $1705.18, I can only assume that this was a transfer of funds into our alcohol account.

#108. Montfair Farm - Written during the peak of Social Co-Chair craziness, this was a $1675 payment to book the lodge for our annual bonfire.

#109. Kathy - Um, I guess I ordered some more pictures from her? For another $10?

#110. Richard - This was the year that we didn't mow our lawn for so long that no civilian equipment could have done the job, so I had to pay a professional $30 to do it.

#111. Hasbrouk Real Estate - The month Pete was out of town and I had to cover our rent. Oh, how I miss first year, when we paid $1200/month for a six-bedroom house.

#112. Nicole - Memo says "tubing refund" for $34. She missed out on a rainy trip, where we (apparently) erroneously decided that it's safer to be in the water during a thunderstorm than out of it.

#113. Lee - $170 for our first whitewater rafting trip down the New River. It's the trip that started a tradition.

#114. HBREC - Oops! My property manager found out that my roommate and I had two dogs in the house and made us pay the monthly pet fee for the first time.

#115. Jerry - I had to pay him $400 to provide the audio equipment for the first ever First Harmonics/Arrhythmics joint concert.

#116. Matt - Before he moved to LA to pursue his dream of being a professional dancer, he was our VMed Prom disc jockey for $350.

#117. Jordan - In order to satisfy the stringent Newcomb rules, I had to pay an undergrad $25 to be "party manager" at our VMed Prom.

#118. Alex - Scratch that, I had to pay two undergrads $25 to be "party managers" at our VMed Prom.

#119. UVA Police Department - Er, the cops were also guarding the VMed Prom for the low price of $399.30 for the night. This was the safest prom OF ALL TIME.

#120. HBREC Escrow - I wrote a check for $100 to act as the pet deposit for our house, since I never paid one in the first place.

#121. HBREC Escrow - I tore up the last check and wrote a new one for $200 to cover both my dog and Celeste's cat.

#122. Sean - Sadly, our Gauley rafting trip was cut short by a death on the river, so I had to reimburse him $121.50.

#123. Matt - Same story as above.

#124. Matt - $85 for "Books and Crabs." In the literal sense of both words.

#125. University of Virginia - This would be the aforementioned Guatemalan expenses, which amounted to $350.

It's hard to believe that I'll be in the country in less than ten days. HOLA, MIS AMIGOS!!

Mind the Gap

2012-01-03T23:41:00.000-05:00

Today, I started my Geriatric Psychiatry selective. As you may gather, this has absolutely nothing to do with my chosen profession of Pediatrics. And yet, I kind of love it. I will always be fascinated by the field of Psychiatry. Also, I love old people almost as much as I love kids. It's just patients between the ages of 35 and 65 that I generally dislike dealing with.

Starting a new rotation is exciting, but seeing the other half of the pictures from this past weekend is far more exciting. This is our official group photo, taken while we were still winning the game, which explains the sincere smiles. However, it does not explain why Paul is twice as tall as everybody else.

Looking at pictures is exciting, but this scene from Fantasia 2000 is far more exciting. Thanks to Jenna for sharing this; watching it was the best 12 minutes and 33 seconds of my day.

Let's Go, Wahoos! (Clap, Clap, Clap-clap-clap)

2012-01-03T01:01:00.001-05:00

Whew, sorry for my extended absence. I spent the past few days on a whirlwind adventure to and from Atlanta, where I went with nine of my friends to the Chick-fil-A Bowl. As you probably know already, the game didn't quite end the way we would have liked, but that didn't make the New Year weekend any less epic.

The epic-ness nearly went undocumented, though, as my camera was low on batteries the entire trip. I did capture a few gems on mine from the nonsensical Bowl Parade, which featured Shriners, people dressed in Star Wars costumes, actors from Medieval Times, the local motorcycle gang, and way too many clowns. At least there were a ton of cows, one of which stopped to take a picture with Nosheen.

The majority of the photos, including all of the ones from the actual game and the subsequent celebration of the New Year, are on Coop's camera. And what a celebration it was! A few of us braved the neighborhood around our airport hotel and hung out at Spondivits, a seafood and steak restaurant that stays open till 4am. You know the place is legit, because Young Jeezy raps about it in Trap Star:

Eat at Spondivits four times a week
Bucket of crab legs, Slick had the lobsters (chyeah)

We just ordered drinks from the bar and skipped the midnight seafood meal, but maybe that was a mistake, because I apparently chewed through the lining of my hotel pillow while I slept that night.

So here's to you, 2012. May you be a wonderful year with even more lulz and nomz than the last.

Good Night, Sleep Tight

2011-12-29T11:03:00.000-05:00

When my parents moved to the new house, they packed all of my stuff into boxes and brought it with them. Those boxes have sat untouched in the closet of my new bedroom... until tonight.

It shames me to say this, but my parents literally made me clean my room today. Ugh, it felt just as terrible as it did when I was 17 years old. But trying to organize all of the stuff that I hadn't even laid eyes upon since I left for college forced me to take the scenic route down memory lane.

Going through each individual box, I decorated the bedroom walls with things that High School Sam would have loved. I taped up movie posters for Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill, and Bourne Identity, but I also threw out some posters I'm kind of embarrassed to own: 25th Hour, The Recruit, Moulin Rouge, and The Birthday Girl (apparently I really liked Nicole Kidman as a teenager).

In addition to the movie posters, I hung up all of my paper-bags-turned-book-covers, or at least the ones that my friends had helped me decorate when we got bored during class.

But that was just the tip of the iceberg. In the midst of all of my high school projects and posters, I also uncovered a letter that Catmo and Kathryn wrote me from Italy, a wanted notice that Thomas mailed me for my birthday, a country music mix CD (my first!) that Katie burned me, pictures that Tina drew for my class officer campaign posters, hemp bracelets that Stevie made me, the Senior Book that Christin and I put together, and much, much more.

Perhaps most surprisingly, I found this Michelle Branch poster that I don't even recall owning, but judging by the handwriting, I'd have to say that Mica put together for me. Well, thanks to whoever made it, because it now adorns a corner of my wall:

Man, 17-year-old Sam was living a pretty good life. I wanna hang out with that guy.

Fix Me Up

2011-12-28T18:26:00.001-05:00

The majority of my break has been occupied with helping my parents do odd jobs around the house. For example, today we went back to the old house, which is now on the rental market, and repainted some the rooms that had scuff marks on the walls.

Earlier this week, I helped my parents decorate the house they now live in. They hadn't hung anything up on the walls yet, making the whole place feel very... institutional. So, I forced them to dig out all of the old paintings and family portraits from the attic.

Our extremely Chinese-looking dining room.

Our extremely Chinese-looking kitchen/breakfast room.

Et voilà! Now the house finally looks and feels like there are people living in it.

Occupy Louisa

2011-12-27T16:55:00.001-05:00

I've seriously been all over the map this winter break. I just can't stop occupying!!!1!1!!one!

Today's trip was just a few minutes down the road to the city? town? village? municipality! of Louisa to visit Hy. He had accidentally left his suit jacket at his hotel in New York City last week and I had picked it up for him. In addition to returning the coat to its rightful owner, I also got to see Tim, another one of our fellow Watson dorm-mates, who is visiting for two days from Wisconsin. Man, just typing that word makes me feel cold.

The three of us grabbed lunch at Obrigado Restaurant, which according to Hy is the "only decent restaurant in town." Unfortunately, I seemed to have chosen their only indecent menu option, the Catfish Po' Boy. The homemade chips that came with it were salty and delicious, but the catfish was extremely dry and flavorless. At least it came from Lake Anna, so there may be a chance that I develop superpowers from eating the irradiated bottom feeder.

And before we lose the Christmas spirit entirely, here's a picture of Titan, who scraped his snout on something while romping outside this week:

His new nickname? Titan the Red-Nosed Ridgeback.

It's Beginning to Sound a Lot Like Christmas

2011-12-25T19:09:00.001-05:00

I'm turning into an old fart. I tire of the pop Christmas songs by artists like Mariah Carey and Justin Bieber that dominate the airwaves. Nay, give me the good old stuff: Handel's Messiah, the original German verses of Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht, or a choral arrangement of Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming.

But there is one song that brings me Christmas cheer above all others: Leroy Anderson's Sleigh Ride. It's the upbeat tempo; it's the use of the slapstick and other fun percussion instruments; it's the moment when the orchestra breaks out into that funky, festive rhythm. If I were Jesus, I would totally make this my official birthday song.

Merry Christmas to you and your families!

Occupy Richmond

2011-12-24T21:43:00.000-05:00

If you're allowed to have Friendsgiving, then why shouldn't you also be allowed to have Friendsmas?

I feel slightly guilty for saying it, but while I love getting to come home to my parents during winter break, my favorite thing is actually getting to see all of my high school friends.

I started my Friendsmas by meeting up with Catmo and Christin at Secco Wine Bar in Carytown. I had just come from dinner, so I didn't sample any of their food, but I can attest that their wine is delicious and their ambience is relaxing.

Afterwards, we caught a showing of Drive at the Byrd Theatre. It was... not at all what I expected. I expected it to be more Fast and Furious-like and less Kill Bill-like. But who am I to complain? There are few action flicks I don't enjoy, and this one was an interesting blend of violence and artistry, both of which are things I love.

Friendsmas continued at Mica's house tonight, where I celebrated Christmas Eve with her extended family. I was happy enough that she invited me to hang out with them, and even happier when her dad and her uncle both gave me presents. From her uncle, I received a gift bag containing Tabasco sauce, a key chain flashlight, chocolates, and Anti Monkey Butt Powder. From her dad, I received a large tool of unknown purpose but is likely a toenail clipper.

Christmas is fun!

Occupy Waynesboro

2011-12-23T20:00:00.000-05:00

Christmas is the time... for nostalgia. Last week, when Russell took me to his friend's house to sing around the piano, I couldn't help but think of all the fun I had singing with Caroline in college. Like me, she grew up surrounded by church music, and like me, she knows every word to every song in the Baptist hymnal. So that night when I realized she'd be back in Virginia for the holidays, I sent her the following message: "I'm totally driving to Waynesboro to visit you and you can't stop me."

True to my word, when I got back to DC yesterday, I took a little detour on my way home to Richmond and stopped by Caroline's parents' house. I hung out with Caroline and Erik, caught them up on what has been going on in my life, and heard all about what it's like to be new homeowners in Texas. I ended up spending the night there, and when I woke up this morning, Caroline's mom prepared a breakfast of ham, eggs, and grits for us. What a great way to start off my Christmas weekend! We joked about turning this into a new tradition, but we'll see if they're still laughing next year when I show up on their front porch hungry and asking for food.

As fun as it has been to traipse around the mid-Atlantic for the past week, I'm glad to say that I am finally home with my parents and Titan. I'm officially ready for Christmas, so bring it on!

Happenstance

2011-12-21T20:07:00.003-05:00

At 1:25 today, I made the conscious decision to stop trying to connect with other people on the streets of New York City. Too often I'd been burned: no "hello," no polite nod of the head, not even a half-second smile. In fact, the only person who'd made eye contact with me all morning was a drunk, homeless man wearing a Santa hat. I would go straight to Penn Station, glancing around only to look for a place to grab lunch on my way.

At 1:30 today, I felt a slap across my chest while I was walking up Broadway Avenue. I spun around to see who had hit me, but before I had time to register the face, I heard Jim's customary greeting, "Whuddup, Sammas?"

At 1:31 today, I decided that New York City is not as big as it seems. In addition to randomly getting to have lunch with Jim in Midtown, I had also run into Kristine, a first year UVA medical student, yesterday while crossing Times Square.

And so, I continue to collect evidence to support my theory that New York is just a small town pretending to be the most populous city in the United States of America.

Thanks to Cal the Cripple for hosting me this visit. Until next time, NYC!

Capital One Presents: Watson YOUR Wallet?

2011-12-20T17:31:00.000-05:00

My Watson Dorm reunion continues.

Hy and Beth may have left NYC, but I still have other friends from my first year dorm to hang out with. In fact, this post is dedicated to my suitemate and one of my best friends from college, Douggie. Actually, his voicemail would have me believe that he now goes by the name Douglas. Yeah right, there's no way I could ever call him that with a straight face.

Douggie took an extra long lunch today and told me to meet him at the Yale Club of New York. He took me to the Clubhouse, where we both decided to go with the sushi buffet, against our better senses. I can't lie: it was a swanky affair. I tried hard not to embarrass myself, and I even resisted asking the waiter to take our picture because we were surrounded by so many adults in professional attire. Then again, I shouldn't have worried so much: one of the guests sitting behind me somehow managed to knock over his entire table, spilling all of the food, drinks, and decorations onto the floor. Awkward!

After lunch, Douggie showed me around the rest of the Yale Club, including the magnificent library, the spacious gym, and the beautiful roof dining room on the 22nd floor with the terrace that's used for an outdoor bar when the weather is warm. There were no judging eyes out on the cold terrace today, so I snapped a picture of Douggie being all businessman-like on his cell phone.

Hanging out with Douggie made me really miss first year of college. Then I remembered how he used to always yell at me, beat me up, hide my glasses, push me into holly bushes, give me noogies, and generally try to make my life as miserable as possible, and I missed it a little less. But only a little.

Occupy Wall Street

2011-12-19T23:47:00.001-05:00

If you guessed New York City, then gee golly willikers, you were right!

I'm currently in the Big Apple, and to celebrate my arrival, we had a bit of an impromptu Watson Dorm reunion. Christin and I met up with Beth, who was visiting from New Orleans, and Hy, who was visiting from Capetown, at El Centro, a Mexican restaurant in Hell's Kitchen. I ordered the burrito de pescado, which contained Mediterranean sea bass, and it was a very good choice. Christin offered me some of her leftovers and then called me out for my oxymoronic reply, "No thanks, I'm good, but actually I'll finish off your rice."

Remember when we laughed, we cried, and we ate burritos? Oh wait, that was like, a few hours ago.

Occupy D.C.

2011-12-18T23:32:00.003-05:00

I just spent three days in our nation's capital, and I feel at least three times as patriotic as I did before I arrived.

The path to Washington was a long and difficult one. The streets of the city were designed in the Baroque style, based on old European cities like Amsterdam, Paris, and Milan. They might as well have been designed simply to confuse and fluster me. It took me half an hour of driving up and down Massachusetts Avenue before I finally figured out where I was and how to get where I wanted to be.

Aside from that, though, my visit was awesome. On Saturday morning, Russell and I met up with Leslie for brunch in Georgetown, followed by some Christmas shopping in the fancy boutique shops in the area. We also stopped by the local Barnes & Noble, where we learned that there is now a literary genre known as Paranormal Romance, and there are enough titles to cover three (yes, three) bookshelves.

Eventually Leslie had to go to her call for a concert that her choir was putting on that afternoon, so Russell and I walked over to the Mall to check out the National Museum of American History. My favorite exhibitions were America on the Move, which as its name implies, is about transportation, and The Star-Spangled Banner: The Flag That Inspired the National Anthem, where the original flag that Francis Scott Key gazed upon is on display.

That night, we went to a party with some of Russell's choir friends, where we spent half the time singing around the piano and half of the time singing along to karaoke videos on YouTube. Truth be told, it made me very nostalgic for my own choir friends from undergrad.

And now DC is but a dream to me, as I have already moved on. Thanks to Russell for hosting me while I was in town. And where am I now, you ask? Betcha can't guess...

Multiple Destination Trip

2011-12-15T01:18:00.006-05:00

I have returned from touring the great state of Ohio. I can't believe how much I've driven over the past three days: Charlottesville to Cincinnati to Cleveland to Charlottesville. While on the road, I finished the audio version of John Grisham's 2010 legal thriller, The Confession. It's a pretty grim tale, but the plotline is easy to digest and the morals of the tale are basically laid out for you, making it a nice read (or listen), especially when you're driving through the flat Midwestern countryside.

My favorite part of the trip there was when I stopped in Beckley to grab some lunch. When I hit the road again, I accidentally passed the ramp for the highway and had to turn around. The next street where I was able to do that happened to be the entrance to the famed VA Medical Center that we have all heard so much about as third year med students. Unable to believe that I had finally gotten to see the hospital with my own eyes, I quickly snapped a picture through my windshield before getting back on the highway.

My favorite part of the trip back was the naps I took along the way. I was supposed to be back by 8pm, but I was over half an hour late because twice I got so drowsy while driving that I had to stop for a 15-minute nap. The first one took place in the parking lot of a Days Inn, while the second one took place at a truck stop. It wasn't even a real rest area, just a strip next to the highway with three Porta-Potties. I pulled in between two eighteen-wheelers and quickly passed out, grateful to be awoken by my alarm a few minutes later with no serial killer staring through my driver seat window.

Thanks to Lisa for hanging out with me while I was in Cincinnati and to Hassan for hosting me while I was in Cleveland. It's gonna be good to sleep in my own bed tonight, though!

Seat's Taken

2011-12-12T21:16:00.001-05:00

I left my house this morning at 7am Bryant Hall in order to collect tickets for my friends and me at the Chick-fil-A Bowl. I was happy that Paul showed up to wait with me, and even happier when he left and came back with breakfast from Bodo's Bagels. Thanks, Peepers!

Anyway, I'll be in Section 102, Row 17 of the Georgia Dome on New Year's Eve, so if you plan on being there, come visit me!

In other news, tonight I am breaking my vow to not stay in any hotels during my interview trail. But it's okay! My room at the Cincinnati Hilton Netherland Plaza is covered by the residency program. I don't frequently stay in hotels, and of the few I've been to, this one is certainly the fanciest. My only complaint is that they charge $9.95 for internet use, which is why I'm currently at the Starbucks down the street.

Now to get home so I can get some sleep before tomorrow's interview. HA! Who am I kidding? We all know I'm going to go read a few hundred more pages of A Clash of Kings before I go to bed.

I'm Still Alive

2011-12-12T00:42:00.001-05:00

Yes, I know, I haven't blogged all weekend. But it's only because I've found myself alternating between periods of feasting and periods of severe food coma.

It all started with dinner at Petit Pois Restaurant on Thursday, my first fancy dinner out in God knows how long. Kathryn and I split two appetizers: the Mixed Greens Salad with Beets, Pine Nuts and Goat Cheese and the Burgundy Snails in a Herb Garlic Broth served with Grilled Bread. I had the cassoulet for my entree (I'd never even heard that word before), and of course we had to split some ice cream with chocolate sauce for dessert. The best thing of all is that Kathryn works there, so my very large food baby came with a very sharp discount.

Friday meant it was time to celebrate a semester of hard work with an Arrhythmics holiday potluck. Once again, I succeeded in eating so much food that I was uncomfortable whether I chose to sit or stand. Also, I should have known that when I invited over a group a singers, our meal would seamlessly segue into a lively sing-along. At some point the song selections went down the Disney direction, inspiring me to hoist Titan as high as I could during The Circle of Life.

And then there was the meal to end all meals. It hadn't started out that way: six of us came up with the idea to have a mussels and Belgian beer night. We prepared enough bread, salad, pasta, and mussels for all of our friends, but just as we were sitting down to eat, we realized that none of us had called our friends to actually invite them to dinner. At that point, everyone we called had either already made dinner plans or were actually in the process of eating said dinner plans. So what choice did we have but to eat all of the food we had prepared for a group twice our size? We did what we had to do, and this is what six pounds of consumed mussels looks like.

Sigh, every meal I eat is far too rich in salt and butter. First world problems!

Occupy Library

2011-12-09T19:52:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, Sunny stopped by my parents' house to pick up a few things for me on her way back to C-ville. While she was there, my mom asked her to pass along a message:

"Tell Sam that he needs to go interview at Harvard. And I hope he likes it so he will go there."

Thank you, Mom, for doing your part in knocking down Asian stereotypes, and for reminding me of the following post at Tiger Mom Says:

It's only funny because it's true.

Time for a Change

2011-12-07T23:41:00.001-05:00

After a prolonged absence from giving interview tours, I've been back at it this week. Today, I gave one with Sunny, and to our delight we learned that the Garden Room where we take the interviewees for lunch had a special holiday menu.

The Garden Room lunches are already over-the-top: a hot buffet that is at least ten times better than any other lunch you might get on a medical school interview day. But what we had today was extravagant, even by UVA standards.

We arrived to find a three-course menu on our tables. I fought the urge to dive into cruise ship mentality and order two of each course, and I ended up going with a lobster bisque as my appetizer, sirloin steak for my entree, and a rich-beyond-imagination espresso yule log for dessert.

Sure, our lunch may have taken much longer than usual, and we may have had to cram an hour-long tour into 30 minutes, but you know what? I loved it. And I bet those interviewees did too.

College Kids

2011-12-07T01:23:00.001-05:00

It's 1:30am. I hear a knock on my door and open it to find two very drunk college guys singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." I watch the strangers in stunned silence while Titan barks up a storm. They eventually finish their serenade, at which point I learn that they are staying with a friend who lives on my street and have been going door-to-door singing Christmas carols in the wee hours of the night. When I ask them how it has been going for them, they reply, "Well, we haven't been shot yet."

College kids: I hate you, but only because I can no longer be you.

Stay Safe

2011-12-06T23:14:00.001-05:00

Today was a day: two firsts and a last.

This morning was the first time I visited the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. We were given a tour of the gallery, where they keep different cars that have been crash-tested. The tour ended with a live crash test, which unfortunately I can't post pictures or videos of online because it contains currently non-analyzed data. But I can tell you that they were testing the guards on the backs of tractor trailers by running a car at 30mph into one of them. Here's what some of the cars that had undergone previous tests against tractor trailers now look like:

This afternoon was the first time I worked with second year medical students as an H&P observer. It was fun watching them do a complete physical exam and then giving them feedback on how to improve. I'm really glad I just took the Advanced Physical Diagnosis elective with Dr. Corbett, because otherwise I would not have felt nearly as comfortable as I did showing the students how to properly palpate the landmarks in the neck or percuss Castell's point.

This evening was the last time I would get to attend a home UVA basketball game as a student. SHOTS ticketing request system, I will miss you! Just kidding, you were always the most user-unfriendly website of all time. At least we got to sing the Good Old Song in celebration at the end: we beat GMU 68-48. GO HOOS!

Winter Is Coming

2011-12-05T23:23:00.001-05:00

Yes. Yes. I just finished reading A Game of Thrones, the first of seven planned books from the series A Song of Ice and Fire. It was 807 pages of sheer awesomeness. Sure, it took me a while to learn all of the characters' names (at first I had to keep Googling them to figure out who I was reading about). But it was amazing, especially the last few chapters, which were filled with page-turning action. I LOVE IT!

And you know what's even better? Now I can start on A Clash of Kings, and since the second season of the HBO series hasn't been filmed, I'll get to read it without knowing what happens at the end. In fact, I'M STARTING IT RIGHT NOW AND YOU CAN'T STOP ME!!

Ahh, Vacation

2011-12-05T15:20:00.001-05:00

I'm on vacation again! And I actually don't have any interviews this week! Which means my schedule looks something like this:

Hmm, not as much free time as I had initially anticipated. So much for "vacation." That'll just have to wait until winter break... when I'm headed to the Chick-fil-A Bowl! I CAN'T WAIT!!

All's Well That Ends Well

2011-12-04T21:53:00.001-05:00

So I'll start at the end of my trip to Chicago: I got out of the airplane, walked through the gate, and found my Res Staff water bottle waiting for me on top of the counter. Amazing.

But that was just the cherry on top of the cake, because my weekend in Chicago had been pretty awesome in and of itself. After my interview ended, I met up with Neil and Liz at Tilted Kilt for a few drinks. While we were there, we saw someone order what had to be five pounds worth of nachos... so of course we got the same thing.

Later that night, Liz and I went to ZooLights at the Lincoln Park Zoo with some of her friends. Sadly, most of the animals were already fast asleep by the time we got there. Still, we got to enjoy some pretty outrageous decorations that put me right in the holiday spirit. I especially liked the exhibit that played 15 seconds of various holiday songs while the lights flickered on beat. So cool!

As you can tell, it was pretty cold that night. I've been spoiled rotten by the mid-60s weather we've been having in Charlottesville.

Thanks to Josh and Rohan, who let me borrow their shoes for the interview (I accidentally left my own at my parents' house after Thanksgiving). Thanks also to Carly and Garrett for hosting me.

Funny story: Carly was asleep when I arrived on Thursday night, I left for my interview on Friday morning before she woke up, she was asleep again when Garrett and I got back late Friday night, and then I had to catch the train to the airport before she awoke on Saturday morning. So, even though she hosted me for two nights, I didn't see her a single time. Lulz!

Whoa, We're Halfway There

2011-12-01T20:21:00.001-05:00

I just landed in Dulles, and I come to you with two observations:

1. I am a complete idiot. As soon as I boarded the plane, I realized that I had left my brand new stainless steel water bottle in the waiting area. I asked the stewardess to call the gate to let them know, so hopefully it'll be waiting for me in the Charlottesville airport office when I get back.

2. The flight from Charlottesville to DC is short. Really short. I have extreme airplane-induced somnolence, and I haven't stayed awake on a single flight this interview season. But, freshly distressed from the loss of my new water bottle, I stayed awake for this entire flight. And so, on my fourth trip between Charlottesville and Dulles in this past month, I finally realized that we are in the air for the entirety of 18 minutes.

My life is a joke.

Flight of Ideas

2011-12-01T18:49:00.001-05:00

I'm sitting in the lobby of the Charlottesville airport, and just the anticipation of boarding my flight is giving me flight of ideas.

Today I served as an abdominal model for the Emergency Department physicians to practice their ultrasound skills. My favorite moment? Being told by the attendings that I had an impressive rectus abdominis muscle. P90X, you do me good.

My friend from high school, Stew, is a captain in the US Coast Guard. He just returned from serving a tour in Bahrain. He was also on yesterday's episode of The Price Is Right. Spoiler alert: he wins the Showcase Showdown!

For some reason, I haven't gotten excited about Christmas music yet this year. Maybe going to the Lighting of the Lawn would have put me in the holiday spirit. Sadly, I will be missing it for the first time in eight years.

Okay, time to get on my plane. Next stop: Chicago!

Too Soon

2011-11-30T17:33:00.001-05:00

I keep thinking that I have all of fourth year ahead of me, but I'm starting to realize that this utopia will one day have to end. In fact, the end isn't all that far out of sight anymore.

I feel like I just attended my last UVA football game, and I'm already planning my last UVA basketball game. So if you're free, I implore you: come to the George Mason game with me next Tuesday. Sadly, the rest of the home games this season take place during winter break, my interview in Boston, or my trip to Guatemala.

LET'S GO HOOS!

Christmas Gifts: Ur Doin It Rite!

2011-11-29T22:26:00.001-05:00

And so the gifts start coming in.

I guess the first one was prompted. You see, I used to have an orange and blue Resident Staff Nalgene bottle that I took with me everywhere, from my marine biology class in the Bahamas to my family vacations in China to the hospital wards at UVA. Sometime earlier this year, I lost it. I was heartbroken.

Then I met Darius, a fellow UVA alum who now works at the Residence Life Office. He found me another Nalgene bottle just like the one I lost, as well as the newer issue water bottle. Thank you, Darius, for your kindness, which will not be forgotten. A Lannister always pays his debts.

My second gift came in the form of an experience. Leslie is in town for work, so we met at Arch's to feast on frozen yogurt. One thing stood in the way of us lolling the night away reminiscing about the many classes and concerts we had shared: the water cooler was empty. The employee who was working had broken his collar bone and couldn't refill it, so I offered to do it for him, which meant I got to go behind the counter at Arch's. YES: I GOT TO GO BEHIND THE COUNTER AT ARCH'S. Indeed, a dream come true.

The gift certificate for a free 9oz. cup that he gave me afterwards was just topping on the frozen yogurt. Get it? Like icing on the cake? I'm hilarious!

Gimme Gimme!

2011-11-28T21:53:00.001-05:00

Advent is upon us: a time for the celebration of the birth of the baby Jesus. A time for hope, love, joy, and peace. A time for us to prepare our hearts for the coming of our Savior, and to ponder what that really means for our lives.

And, I hate to say, a time for purchasing Christmas presents.

I cannot deny that the consumerist side of my personality is excited at the prospect of having an excuse to buy what I want, while the Asian side of my personality is excited to find so many sales to help me achieve that goal. So without further ado, here are the top 10 things I want for Christmas this year (in no particular order) that aren't too expensive.

1. You Shall Not Pass Go t-shirt
2. Baby Mario & Yoshi MacBook skin sticker
3. UVA campus letter art
4. Revolving tie rack
5. True Blood Merlotte's pint glass
6. Angry Birds Peruvian hat
7. Giant gummy bear
8. Ticket stub diary
9. LEGO duck key chain
10. TRON light cycle

Okay, so that last one is kind of out of my price range. But... WANT!

Season Finale

2011-11-27T14:42:00.001-05:00

I came back to Charlottesville a day early to catch the final game of the UVA football season against our in-state rival, Virginia Tech. It was an important game that would decide which team would face off against Clemson in the ACC championships, but it was especially important to me because it would be the last UVA game I'd get to attend for free as a student.

While the football game itself didn't leave much for us Wahoos to brag about, we still had a great time tailgating. So great, in fact, that it even inspired Sunny and I to take a normal picture while we were on the Range. That never happens.

After stuffing our faces full of food first at Peter's tailgate and then at Stevie and Steph's tailgate, we decided it was time to make our way into the stadium. Luckily, the concession stands allowed us to keep consuming food once we were inside. In fact, the more the Hokies scored, the more we felt like we needed to eat our feelings.

And even after we left the game, we continued to scavenge for food. Nosheen and I went over to visit Bishop and Richie, but when we found that they had already left the house, we were left with no choice but to eat their spicy peanuts. Mmm, so delicious!

And so, in this week of Thanksgiving, I would like to thank everybody who fed me nomz before, during, and after the football game. Without you, I'd be nothing more than an emaciated medical student.

Celebrating the Harvest

2011-11-24T22:34:00.001-05:00

I just finished Thanksgiving dinner, which can be more accurately described as the Feast of Meats.

For the first time in many years, my family stayed in Richmond instead of traveling to the Outer Banks for the week of Thanksgiving. A three-person Thanksgiving dinner isn't all that exciting, though, so of course we invited several of our family friends over tonight. It was a potluck of sorts: my mom made her usual Peking Duck-style turkey, and I was in charge of preparing the glazed ham. This is the first time my mom has trusted me enough to let me do anything in the kitchen around the Thanksgiving holiday. I must really be growing up!

Well, we made the mistake of assuming that all of the guests would bring vegetable dishes. Instead, they came with fish, chicken, ribs, shrimp, and even another turkey. Seriously? Who brings a turkey to someone else's Thanksgiving dinner?? And more than three non-meat dishes would have been nice.

But it is a day of giving thanks, and I can't deny that I'm thankful for the amount of food we had, meat or otherwise. I kept eating until my stomach felt like it was going to burst, and then once it stopped hurting, I would eat more, and then it would start hurting again. A vicious cycle, and one that I never learned from.

Hello again, missing seven pounds.

Gym Rat

2011-11-23T20:14:00.001-05:00

The interview trail has taken its toll on me: I haven't been eating healthily or even regularly for the past month, and I certainly haven't had any semblance of an exercise routine. I knew I'd been falling out of shape, but it wasn't until I weighed myself today and found out that I'd lost seven pounds in the past month that I knew something was seriously wrong.

Luckily, my parents' new house is just down the street from a new 24-hour American Family Fitness center. I went to check it out, and they even agreed to let me use it without a membership while I'm home for the holidays. It's a huge gym, complete with several indoor pools and even an indoor running track. The only downside is that it was built large for a reason: it was teeming with people. If I didn't know better, I would have thought that I was in the middle of the UVA Aquatic & Fitness Center at 5pm.

But I really couldn't complain, since they were letting me work out for free. Of course, I may not be so cavalier (HIYO!) about it when I wake up tomorrow morning to find my entire body paralyzed with pain. Oh, DOMS, how I've missed you so.

Best Friends Forever

2011-11-22T23:06:00.001-05:00

"This is one of my best friends, _____."

That is how most people introduce one friend to another, and it may also be the moment you, the introduced, realize that you are one of the introducer's best friends. Unless, as it came up in conversation the other day, you are Paul and the introducer is myself. Apparently I call everyone my "best friend," to the point where the phrase has lost its meaning.

Well, I definitely can't argue with the first half of that sentence. And Paul isn't the first person to point it out: Catmo used to roll her eyes every time she heard me say those two words. But how did it get that way? Why is it that I keep calling everyone my best friend?

I don't know for sure, but maybe it's because I really believe it. For starters, there's Jim, my best friend from college. Then there's Cal, whom I consider my best friend from high school. Catmo: she would be my best friend who knows exactly how to ride that fine line between laughing and groaning at my jokes. Dylan is my best friend from being RAs together. Kathryn is, of course, the best friend who magically pops up whenever I need someone to vent to. Of all my best friends, Sunny is the one who shares the most lulz and nomz with me. Lee is the one who steals the most lulz and nomz from me. Christin, my best friend who grew up with me. Nosheen is my best friend that I would go to for help with anything. Titan, as you may surmise, is my best four-legged friend. And even doubting Paul is my go-to best friend when I just want to hang out, whether it be in front of the TV, at a football game, on a hike, or as part of a trivia team.

Perhaps my problem is that I don't have just one best friend. I value each of the people I mentioned above for a different reason. And it's not even like I came close to listing each of my best friends: if you're reading this, then there's a 99% chance that I've referred to you as my "best friend" at some point. No, I'm not including you, Ukranian guy I've never met before who found my blog using the search term "i had watermelon and the next day i developed skin rash."

I guess I don't find it all that necessary to pick just one best friend. My one fear is that everyone else does, and then what? I'll never be asked to be somebody's best man, or even to be in a wedding party. It's actually something I think about a lot: I've been in a ton of weddings, but always as the pianist. Is it because my friends truly hold my piano playing in such high regard? Or is it really their way of keeping me from feeling left out without letting on to the fact that they don't consider me close enough to be a groomsman?

Maybe I need to find a best friend for answering rhetorical questions, too.

Pocket Monster

2011-11-21T20:56:00.001-05:00

It's a new week, which means I just had another interview. I know, it's like an addiction. I can't get away from them, and I'm not embarrassed to let the whole world know!

This last one was in Durham, and it was the first time I had ever visited that part of North Carolina. Nice town, made nicer by the fact that I was hosted by Laura and Mike. Like Julia and Matt, they have their own house in a subdivision that makes my house in Charlottesville look like a dumpster. Then again, even a dumpster would make my house in Charlottesville look like a dumpster.

Best moment of the day? That would be learning that the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, or the PCICU, is often referred to as the "Pikachu." If I wasn't sure about going into Pediatrics before, I sure am now! (o^-^o)

That Was CLAWesome

2011-11-20T00:30:00.001-05:00

After all these years, I've finally made it to a Charlottesville Lady Arm Wrestlers event. I just got back from CLAWnucopia, a fundraiser for Quality Community Council. And what a spectacle it was.

The match was in tournament style and featured arm wrestlers in costumes so absurd that Lewis Carroll would be shocked to see them. Fans can purchase CLAWbucks, which can be donated to each of the wrestler's posses, who then use the Monopoly-esque money to bribe the "judges" of the match. Our favorite character was Hester Prynne, who was unceremoniously defeated by the eventual champion, Reverend Blackbusch, in the second round of the competition.

I can honestly say I've never been to anything quite like this before. There were so many colors and sounds, I'm still not sure I've processed all of what I experienced.

In the same way, I'm still not sure I've processed that UVA actually defeated FSU at their own stadium while I was at CLAWnucopia. Wahoowa!

Recapitulation

2011-11-18T23:16:00.001-05:00

I hadn't even had time to fully recover from my latest trip to NYC when it was time to embark on a different but equally stimulating, thrilling, and exhausting adventure: the Who's Bad concert at the Jefferson Theater.

As you may recall, I saw them at the same venue last year, so I'll spare you my obsessive rantings.

One thing that I didn't do last time, however, was talk about how much I love the guitarist in this band. Obviously the two singers who play Michael Jackson are amazing: their looks, sounds, and moves mimic those of the King of Pop as closely as I could possibly imagine. But the guitarist is quite the showman himself: he definitely knew how to work the crowd and get them fired up. I love it when "back-up" performers make the effort to show off their chops as well. It is my belief that being a good musician is only half the battle: the other half is convincing everyone else of that fact. And during last night's concert, the guitarist made a darn good case for himself.

Who's Bad, I love you guys. You really Enjoy Yourself onstage, and the way you Shake Your Body and Beat It is just straight-up Bad. Words cannot describe The Way You Make Me Feel at your concerts, and I Want You Back as soon as possible so that I can Rock With You again.

I Did It For the Lulz

2011-11-16T11:50:00.001-05:00

It was because of my own hubris. I had a flight out of JFK at 6am, and I thought that I had given myself enough time to get to the airport from Christin's place. Well, I would have, if the E train had not been taken out of service for track repairs.

That was only the beginning of my mistakes. At that point, I should have just sucked it up and paid the $50 for a taxi, but I was too proud. I would make it to the airport via the A train. Sure, it would be cutting it close, but I wasn't going to throw money away taking a cab.

Yet another error. I didn't factor in the time it would take for me to get from the JFK subway stop to Terminal 7, which put me there after the check-in time for my flight had ended. To rub salt on the wound, I had actually already checked in online and would have been able to make my flight had I printed my boarding pass before I arrived at the airport.

All was not lost: the attendant offered to let me sit standby on the next flight for free. That is, until she learned that the next flight was overbooked, so there was no chance of me making it on.

Pretty much everything that could have gone wrong went wrong, and I ended up having to pay $150 to take the next flight from LaGuardia back to Charlottesville. Yes, you read that right: after working so hard to get to JFK, I had to backtrack to LaGuardia.

When something goes horribly wrong, I can usually count on it being a good story and play it off as something I did for the lulz. But this time, I'm not lulzing, because I'm going to be late to my Advanced Physical Diagnosis session, and I'm $150 poorer for it. Womp womp.

What Is This Place!?

2011-11-15T18:46:00.001-05:00

That was supposed to be said in a tone à la Charlie from Lost.

I was on my way back from the interview to Christin's apartment this afternoon when I ran into her on the street. Oh, New York City, you try to act all big and mean, but I know you're just a small town at heart. Since I had nothing to do, I ended up going to the bank and the nail salon with her.

I had never been in a nail salon before. While I waited in the front, I couldn't help but notice that the bench I was sitting on was heated. How comfy! The next thing I noticed was that aside from the employees, Christin was the only girl in the salon. There was one guy getting a massage, and another guy getting a pedicure. Is that... typical? I don't know.

You know what else makes NYC weird? There's a place down the street from Christin's apartment called Totto Ramen that serves all different ramen dishes. Not surprisingly, it's on the top of my list of restaurants I want to visit. First, though, I'll have to get over paying $10+ for a bowl of noodles. Why, NYC, do you insist on robbing me of all of my money??

Back on the Road

2011-11-14T18:47:00.001-05:00

It's been five days since the end of my first interview tour, so logically, it's time for me to get back out there. And I'm headed to...

Drumroll please...

NEW YORK CITY!

Wait, wasn't I just there? Like, exactly one week ago? Why, yes, I was. But apparently I can't get away, because my life is a revolving door of insanity.

See you guys in the Big Apple! @_@

Going Soft

2011-11-13T23:51:00.001-05:00

Exercise: it's hard to keep up when you're traveling. Simply put, I haven't exercised in two weeks thanks to the fact that I've been traipsing around the mid-Atlantic. It doesn't help that the residency programs I've been visiting have all done their fair share of wining and dining me, which means I haven't really been eating healthily either.

And that's my excuse for how badly my P90X Plyometrics workout went today. I felt exhausted and my legs started giving out halfway into the hour. It was, in a word, terrible.

Time to spend the next two weeks getting back into a regular exercising regimen so that I can be super hungry for Thanksgiving!

As Was Foretold

2011-11-12T23:29:00.001-05:00

This post is dedicated to Paul, who said earlier today, "I smell a blog post in the making."

Lee and Paul drove me back to Richmond today to pick up my car and my dog, both which I had left at my parents' house for the past week. When we arrived, Titan excitedly greeted us at the door, and a few minutes later, we noticed our hands were covered in dried blood. It took us a while to figure out that the blood had come from Titan's ear, and when I called my mom, I found out that he had run into the neighbor's yard to play with their dog last night but was bitten pretty brutally instead.

Apparently he hadn't stopped bleeding overnight, so for a second I considered taking him to the vet to get sutures. But then I realized it would cost hundreds of dollars to sedate him and perform a procedure on him, so I quickly put that thought out of my mind. Lee, Paul, and I ended up using super glue (the poor man's Dermabond) to stop the bleeding. We also used a napkin to apply pressure to the site while waiting for Titan to achieve hemostasis, and now that's super glued to his ear as well, so he looks kind of goofy.

After a quick trip to the Short Pump Town Center followed by a delectable feast of mom nomz, I forced Lee and Paul to go to the Byrd Theatre with me to catch Contagion. It's been a long time since I had seen a movie at the Byrd, but not much has changed. The theatre still smells kind of funny, and the seats are still uncomfortably close, but most importantly, Bob Gulledge still plays the Wurlitzer organ before the start of the show, as he has for so many years.

Does your local movie complex have an organist? Yeah, I didn't think so.

Entertainment Tonight

2011-11-12T13:46:00.003-05:00

As a fourth year, I have re-discovered the luxury of free time. It's been months since I'd last read a novel for pleasure, and I've been craving some good reading for a long time. I decided to start with A Clockwork Orange, one of those books that I had always wanted to read but had never really got around to doing.

The novel is divided into three parts, and to be honest, the first one was terrible. It took me forever to get into it, because it's hard to read (the narrator speaks in Nadsat, which is an odd combination of English and Russian), and because it's honestly a little boring. But then I read the second and third parts in one day, so as you can probably tell, it really picks up. If you've seen the movie but never read the book, I highly recommend that you do it, because the endings are surprisingly different.

I also started watching Terra Nova, a show that combines my love for time travel and dinosaurs with a plot that's just reminiscent enough of Lost. Hello, sci-fi. Goodbye, sleep.

Fun fact: there really was a dinosaur called the gasosaurus. If only I'd known that before trivia night on Thursday.

Welcome Home

2011-11-10T00:08:00.001-05:00

Seven days and five away interviews later, I'm finally back in my room in Charlottesville. It's going to be so nice to sleep in my own bed tonight!

Although I can't really complain about my accommodations last night: Julia and Matt picked me up from the bus stop and took me to their house. Yes, their house. As in the one they own. I stayed in their guest bedroom. Yes, you read that right. For the first time in a week, I slept not on a couch or a futon, but in a real bed. In a house. With a sun-room and a porch. It was unbelievable. My friends... they've grown up so fast!

But my whirlwind tour of New York and Pennsylvania has finally come to an end, and it's time for me to take a break and relax. Thanks to Anoop, who let me hitch a ride back to Charlottesville. This means that I've traveled by airplane, train, bus, subway, and car in the past week. If only I'd taken the Staten Island Ferry, too...

Milli-Post

2011-11-08T18:06:00.001-05:00

I can't believe it: this is my 1000th post on Idiopathies! I never thought I would live to see the day. Well, okay, maybe I had an idea.

I am going to ruin this beautiful post with some sad news: I received my first rejection letter today. Johns Hopkins University, why?? I just wanted an interview so that I could come visit you and see for myself what all the hubbub was about. And now I'll never know. You will regret this!

But probably not as much as I do. T_T

Mother, May I?

2011-11-07T21:23:00.000-05:00

It's been a glorious five-day stint in New York City, but it's finally time for me to leave. I mean, talk about a city that can bring a hypomanic man to his knees. They weren't kidding when they said that this city never sleeps, and trust me, they don't use that extra hour during Fall Back for restful slumber, either.

And so, after a two hour BoltBus ride, I find myself in Philadelphia, the meeting place of our Founding Fathers, but more importantly tonight, the meeting place of the Eagles and the Bears.

With a new city comes new hosts. Thanks to Allie and Jim for letting me stay with them the past three nights, and thanks to Kristen and John for inviting me into their home tonight. Of course, Nosheen is familiar with John's bad influence on me: when I suggested that I might go out with him to watch the game at a bar, she immediately replied with: "Oooohhh hahaha. No. You're not allowed." Sigh, it's probably for the best.

Going the Distance

2011-11-06T22:04:00.002-05:00

Well, today certainly went a lot more smoothly than yesterday. I slept in really late but managed to drag myself off of the couch in order to watch the NYC Marathon with Christin and her friend Alex at the 17th mile. Cheering on the many runners who had written their names on their shirts turned out to be a lot more fun than I expected, especially because Christin made signs for us wave at them as they went by.

It was a beautiful day, so we strolled over from our initial spot at the intersection of 88th Street and 1st Avenue to Central Park, where we caught the runners at the 24th mile. We also found several other hilarious signs while we were there.

Not all of them were necessarily family-friendly, but they certainly made me laugh out loud.

I walked the extra mile. There were no naked cheerleaders.

Oh, making the lulz out of current events. How clever!

Watching the marathoners run 26.2 miles made us really hungry, so Christin and I went restaurant hunting near her place. We discovered a place called pure thai cook house, which had really cool decor, really good food, really large portions, and most importantly, really cheap prices. I got pork pad thai for only $10, which is less than I would pay for dinner at most Thai restaurants in Charlottesville.

A successful day to end a successful weekend, symbolized in the form of a brand new blog layout. Thanks, Tina!

Kindness of a Stranger

2011-11-05T20:07:00.001-04:00

What a crazy day!

I went to Randall Island with Cal, Jim, and Teie to watch them play football in their local league. After a pretty devastating loss, we headed to Swig to satiate our hunger with some delicious grub and to drown our sorrows with some pitchers.

On the way back, the worst thing in the world happened: I left my wallet in the cab, and I didn't realize it until we were upstairs in the apartment. None of us remembered the taxi's number or the driver's name, so we were at the mercy of fate. I felt very little hope, and I knew that I needed my wallet back, because not only did it have my cash, debit card, and credit card in it, but also my driver's license, which is the only form of identity that I have with me in NYC. Without it, I can't get into bars, which is bad enough in itself, but even worse, I can't get onto airplanes.

A half hour later, I got a call. I don't remember it, but Jim says that when I looked at my cell phone, I excitedly yelled, "It's a random number!" It was actually an officer, who notified me that a woman getting out of a cab had dropped it off at the police sub-station in Times Square. I was overjoyed! Within an hour of losing my wallet, I had it back in my hands, thanks to the kindness of a complete stranger.

Thank you, ma'am! I will pass on your kindness by punching Jim in the face at some point tonight.

Traffic Report

2011-11-03T21:36:00.005-04:00

I hate traffic in New York City.

I had to take I-278 to I-495 to get from Brooklyn to Long Island for my interview was this morning. Google informed me that it would take 25 minutes to get there, so I played it safe and left an hour in advance. I was pretty satisfied with myself, until I got stuck in traffic for 40 minutes.

First, I saw a sign saying, "Car accident on I-495. Two lanes closed." The next one read, "Car accident on I-495. All lanes closed." Uh oh. Finally, I came across a third one: "Road closed ahead. Please find alternate route."

What? What?? I know of no alternate routes on Long Island, because I HAVE NEVER DRIVEN HERE BEFORE. I tried to call a bunch of my friends hoping they could direct me, but it happened to be 6:30 in the morning, so nobody was awake. Finally I got through to Nosheen, who was able to find the phone number for the program coordinator so that I could at least tell them I was on my way and still planned on interviewing that day.

Luckily, I have a pretty good sense of direction, and I was able to get off of the highway and wander around some small streets until I could pick up I-495 again on the other side of the accident. I actually made it to my interview day less than 15 minutes late, and several people showed up after me, having run into the same problem. I am not alone!

And thanks to Michelle and Trevor for hosting me last night!

And So It Begins

2011-11-02T16:44:00.000-04:00

I just completed my first residency interview at UVA, my home institution, which means that I've kicked off my eight-day interview tour of the mid-Atlantic. I'm actually on my way to NYC as we speak, enjoying the free internet at the Richmond International Airport. This is the best!!

The residency match is based in part on the way programs rank applicants and in part on the way applicants rank programs. I won't be posting much about my actual interviews on the blog, so that the process will be remain blinded just in case a program director or interviewer happens to stumble across Idiopathies (unlikely, I know, but possible). This means that you'll just have to surmise how I feel about each hospital I visit, or worse, ask me in person. GASP!

UPDATE: I was really excited to spend the few minutes I had before boarding my plane surfing the interwebz. But it's been more than a few minutes now, as my flight has been delayed due to mechanical issues. Here's to hoping they fix the plane soon, and please pray that it doesn't crash mid-flight. Because, you know, that would probably stink.

Woldecim, Meet Vermolis

2011-11-01T16:40:00.002-04:00

Sun Oct 30, 2:04am: Ibm athes vermolis. Lulz. Hcg?c?

One More Thing

2011-10-31T23:08:00.001-04:00

My parents, being very close with Steph's parents, were also at the wedding. Yes, it was awkward. Yes, I was glad that they were seated at a table on the opposite side of the room from me. Yes, I was relieved that my parents and their friends went home before things started getting really crazy.

Anyway, when I introduced Nisha to my parents, the first thing my mom said was, "Oh, yes, I remember you! You went to Yale!" Then, she turned to all of her friends and exclaimed, "This is Nisha! She went to Yale!"

Wow, way to break down those stereotypes, Mom!

Meet My Date

2011-10-31T21:26:00.001-04:00

For the wedding this weekend, I brought my good friend Nisha along as my date. She went to high school with Stevie, Steph, and me, and she happened to be in the area last week for a showing of the documentary she made. I got a message from her recently saying that she wanted to catch up with all of our friends while she was in Virginia, so I dragged her along to the wedding, which I knew a lot of them would be attending. How fortuitous!

Nisha is the epitome of the word "globe-trotter." If she isn't standing right next to me, then I have no idea where she might be. Did she go to visit her family in Thailand? Is she taking classes in London? Is she doing more filming in Tanzania? Your guess is as good as mine.

Aside from being a world traveler, Nisha is also a budding documentarist. Check out her film, Twiga Stars, which has already been screened at many venues, including the Vail Film Festival, the Palm Beach Women's International Film Festival, and the Africa World Documentary Film Festival, where it won the Audience Choice Award. A version of it is actually posted on her website, so you can watch it whenever you like.

So, where is Nisha now that the wedding is over? For once, I know that she's in Brazil. To quote Nisha (which I love to do, followed by, "Sigh, only Nisha..."), "I need to go to DC to renew my Thai passport because there is some sort of diplomatic reciprocity between the United States and Brazil and my Thai passport is expired, and I'm supposed to be in Brazil on Monday." Sigh, only Nisha...

Wedding of the Century

2011-10-30T23:50:00.000-04:00

Forget Kate and William. I just got back from the wedding to end all weddings. This weekend, two of my best friends in the entire world, Steph and Stevie, got married. It has truly been a long time coming: they are high school sweethearts that started dating eight years ago.

Steph and Stevie did me the honor of asking me to be the pianist at their wedding. They then did me the favor of picking some really difficult pieces to play for the ceremony. I guess it's partially my fault, since I wouldn't let them use any of the overplayed songs in the wedding repertoire. I should have known that this would open up the possibility of choosing songs I'd never even heard before.

So I've played for dozens of weddings, but this one takes the prize as being the first one that made me cry. I just couldn't hold it back when Steph and Stevie started reading their self-written vows at the altar. After all, I've known Stevie since the sixth grade and I don't even remember not knowing Steph. I've been through more with the two of them than most other people I can name.

While I worked pretty hard during the wedding service, the reception was the perfect time for me to kick back. It was held at the beautiful Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and it takes the (wedding) cake for being the best party I've ever been to. Stevie's little brothers were without a doubt the center of all the attention. I was seriously jealous of their sick dance moves.

The wedding reception eventually came to an end, but we were nowhere near done partying. We donned our costumes and headed over to Capital Ale House, where we found the basement game room entirely empty and proceeded to take it over. It was great, because we ended up with a private Halloween party at no cost. Personally, I took advantage of the fact that I was already wearing a suit and dressed up as Clark Kent.

Before we knew it, the bar was closing and we had to head back to the hotel. But first, we managed to snap this picture, filled with some of my favorite people from college, high school, and yes, even middle school. I can't even put into words how much I love these guys.

Steph and Stevie, I know yesterday was supposed to be all about you guys, but thanks for making it the best day of my life along the way. God bless you as you start on the best journey of your life. I'll always be here for you, and I wish you all of the happiness that you deserve!

Home Is Where the Mom Noms Are

2011-10-29T13:53:00.001-04:00

Many of my parents' friends have moved recently. As their children grow up and get their own places, they've downsized into more appropriate living spaces. Not so with my parents.

They recently upsized into a larger house than the one I grew up in. I can't really tell you why; as far as I can gather, it's so that they can host bigger parties. Fact: this is not a good reason to buy a new house. Especially when there are only two of you living in it.

I saw my parents' new pad last night, and it's weird to think that this is where I'll be coming home to on Thanksgivings and Christmases from here on out. Especially because they haven't decorated it yet, so the walls are entirely bare. Oh well, I can't deny that it's certainly nicer than the house I'm accustomed to. Plus, it's less than an hour from Charlottesville, so you'd better believe that I'll be making regular trips to collect mom noms to bring back with me for the remainder of the school year.

I'll Never Do That Again, Part V

2011-10-28T01:21:00.000-04:00

Singing The Good Old Song, painting Beta Bridge, calling our campus "grounds," giving out candy at Trick-or-Treating on the Lawn: these are just a few of the many traditions at UVA that we students are proud of. But for every noble custom that we have, there is a corresponding one that is... not condoned by law enforcement officials.

For example, every UVA student is expected to go steam tunneling before he or she graduates. You see, there are a number of underground steam tunnels connecting the entirety of grounds. Sadly, most of the entrances are locked, so it takes some clever scouting to find a manhole that actually lets you into the system. Once in, you can explore the maze of steam pipes, most of which lead to various academic buildings and dormitories.

My friends and I always talked about making a map of the steam tunnels, but we never actually got around to it. For one, they're very difficult to navigate, because the tunnels themselves are only about four feet high in most areas. Plus, many of the gates are locked, leaving much of the tunnels inaccessible. Another problem is that going into the steam tunnels apparently turns Martha into a cracked out zombie.

In addition to steam tunneling, there are other less-than-legal traditions at UVA, the most popular of which is streaking the Lawn. Custom dictates that the streaker must disrobe at the Rotunda, run down the 740-foot length of the Lawn, kiss the statue of Homer, run back up the Lawn, climb the stairs of the Rotunda, peer through the keyhole of the front door, and say to the statue inside, "Good morning, Mr. Jefferson." Only then can the streaker put his or her clothes back on.

Unfortunately, public nudity is a sex crime in Virginia, and I'm pretty sure they don't let people with a sex crime on their record become pediatricians. And so, last but not least:

5. I'll never streak the Lawn again.

I'll Never Do That Again, Part IV

2011-10-27T04:29:00.000-04:00

I like meeting new people. I like dispensing advice, whether solicited or not. I like creating order out of chaos. Put those characteristics together, and you've got yourself a great resident advisor.

I spent both my third and fourth year as an RA in Old Dorms. And, for the most part, I loved my job. The guys on my both of my halls were great, and I'm still pretty close with some of them.

I remember them, wide-eyed with wonder, on their move-in days. I remember watching them struggle through classes, get in trouble, break up with high school girlfriends, and even learn a few things along the way. This was a group of well-meaning boys who, despite exasperating me to no end, were also pretty endearing.

I loved when they suggested that we do a Secret Santa exchange during the winter holidays.

I loved when they let me hang wreaths on their doors and then decorated stockings with their own names.

I loved when we had fancy dinners in the Rotunda, but then stopped to take goofy pictures together in front of TJ's statue afterwards.

I loved when they left absurd messages on my white board.

I loved when they left creepy (and thankfully inaccurate) predictions about my future on my white board.

I loved that the other RAs in Humphreys my fourth year were obsessed with Harry Potter enough to make our dorm theme "Humphrey Potter."

But don't be fooled: it's not always rainbows and butterflies. It's compromise that moves us along. (HA!) Yes, there are a lot of things that are not great about being an RA.

Sharing a bathroom with 40 guys? Not fun. Waking up on Monday morning to find four out of five toilets clogged with vomit? Not fun. Staying in on one weekend each month to patrol the halls for underage drinking? Not fun. Reprimanding 18-year-olds for breaking the University of Virginia Standards of Conduct? Not fun. Endless hours of paperwork? Not fun. Almost getting fired for taking a picture with my residents at an off-grounds party? Not fun. Living through the heat of August without air conditioning? Not fun.

All of that combined means one thing. You can better your bottom dollar that:

4. I'll never live in a hall with 20 other guys again.

I'll Never Do That Again, Part III

2011-10-26T04:24:00.000-04:00

In spite of the fact that I love dressing up for UVA home games, I have been known to don a t-shirt to film scenes for the pump-up video at the beginning of football games. During the summer between first and second year, several of my friends and I happened to be in town while they were putting all the clips together for the fall football season. Have you ever seen a more spirited group of Wahoos?

Also, have you ever seen me with auburn hair? Because that's what color it was that summer. I had actually decided earlier that I was going to bleach my hair a surfer blond. I went to a salon in Richmond to get it done, but about half an hour into the bleaching process, the hair stylist told me that he would have to stop or else my hair would die and fall off. While "blond" and "bald" kind of sound alike, I definitely didn't want to be the latter, so we called it quits.

Unfortunately, my hair had only made it to a reddish-brownish hue. Not quite the blond I had originally hoped for, but still a nice change from the jet black hair I'd had for my entire life.

My hair grows fast, so within two months, I once more had a full head of my original black hair. As a result, only a few pictures of me with my bleached hair exist. I haven't tried to alter my hair color since then, and as a healthcare provider I'll have to maintain a "professional" image, so it's probably safe to assume that:

3. I'll never bleach or dye my hair again.

Or, alternatively:

3. I'll never be extremely tan from spending all summer playing in the outdoors again.

I'll Never Do That Again, Part II

2011-10-25T01:22:00.001-04:00

Ah, Beach Week. I don't have a lot of regrets, but of the few I have, probably 99% of them took place at North Myrtle Beach.

Every year during the week between final exams and commencement, you can find what feels like all of UVA at the same beach in South Carolina. Coincidentally, the annual Bike Week shares the same time and location, making for an interesting mix of preppy college kids and leather-clad middle-aged men.

What is most bizarre about Beach Week, though, is a place called the Spanish Galleon (or Spee Gee, as we like to call it). There's a strange magical force about it that draws in UVA students like moths to a light bulb. Then there's an additional magical force that causes those same UVA students to clamber like monkeys into various cages strategically placed throughout the dance floor.

Yes, that place is ridiculous. Yes, we always ended up there no matter what our initial plans were for the night. Yes, I was in a cage within 15 minutes of walking in the door every single time.

This is the least incriminating photo I could find of myself in a cage. Faces have been blurred to protect the not-so-innocent. Whatever, we were just having ourselves a good time. Even so, I feel pretty comfortable saying:

2. I'll never dance in a cage in the middle of a club again.

I'll Never Do That Again, Part I

2011-10-24T15:37:00.000-04:00

When it comes to UVA football games, I am 100% in support of Guys in Ties, Girls in Pearls. Why? Because it's tradition, dangit! Plus, we look good when we dress well.

But back when I was in college, you were just as likely to see me in a shirt and tie as you were to see me wearing body paint. That is, if you even recognized me at all.

My friends and I painted ourselves for nearly every home game during first year, so of course I had to pass it down to my residents when I was an RA. Plus, if we did it together, it could count as my programming for the month. Win-win!

Of course, painting your body does have its drawbacks. For one, it's not very fun to do it at a night game. Sure, you may feel hardcore at the beginning, but when it's past 9:00 and the game looks like it's going into overtime, you're no longer a happy camper. Thank goodness our stadium sells hot chocolate.

Last but not least, if you're considering wearing body paint to a game, then you should be sure to cover all of your exposed skin, or you may end up with an unfortunate tan line.

I have tons of great memories from undergrad football games, but one thing is for sure:

1. I'll never paint my body and go shirtless to a sports game again.

When I Was In College...

2011-10-23T16:48:00.001-04:00

Neil has been on an away rotation in St. Louis, and whenever I talk to him, he tells me about how much he misses Charlottesville. Who can blame him? The thought of leaving here to go somewhere else for residency terrifies me. I've become so accustomed to living in this near-utopia, it's hard to imagine moving to another city, let alone another state.

The thing is, I'm going on my eighth year of being a Charlottesville resident. Have I changed that much during that time? I don't feel too much different than I did when I lugged my TV and laundry basket into Watson dorm on a hot day in August of 2004. And I still tell poop jokes. And I still go into paroxysms of laughter that scare everyone else in the restaurant.

But you know what? I have matured. I'm a professional, or at least so I'm told. For better or for worse, there are a lot of things that I did when I was a college student that I'll never do again. What kinds of things? Stay tuned this week to find out.

I'm Not Mad; I'm Just Disappointed

2011-10-22T00:22:00.001-04:00

Google, I thought I could trust you with everything. I let you manage my electronic mail. I schedule my life using your calendar. I use your maps to plan my public transportation routes when I'm in New York and DC. Heck, you even own the server for this blog.

But then I happen to go into my spam folder and find an invitation to interview at a residency program that was sent five days ago. Dagger!

Google, how could you do this to me? Why are you sabotaging my future? What did I do to deserve this? Why won't you love me the way I love you??

Rolling on the Floor Laughing

2011-10-21T11:47:00.001-04:00

Gauri posted some videos by Harvard Sailing Team yesterday, which pretty much made my night. Also, it made me stay up an hour later than I originally intended to. Why, Gauri, why??

The sketch comedy troupe has posted a number of great skits on their YouTube account, but the one below called "Puppy Pictures!!!" takes the cake by far. I think I was laughing so hard when I watched this that I broke a rib. And the cracked rib punctured my lung and gave me a pneumothorax. Then it wasn't funny anymore. :[

Stick to It

2011-10-20T23:37:00.001-04:00

When Sammas says something, by George, he means it. Except for when he's exaggerating. Or when he's being sarcastic. Or when he's inebriated. Umm...

Anyway, I made a vow when I submitted my applications for residency. I promised myself to never, ever, ever pay for a hotel room during the interview process. Luckily, I'm a pretty popular guy with friends all over the country (yeah, I went there). I have free places to stay in New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Durham, Chicago, Baltimore, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Charlotte. But.

But.

I don't know anybody in Stony Brook.

Well, there's no way in this world I'm paying $119 to spend one night at the local Holiday Inn. Enter CouchSurfing. I first heard about it through my roommate David, who has used it in the past. We even hosted a CouchSurfer at our place during the LOOK3 Festival of the Photograph. Today, I joined the CouchSurfing community in hopes of finding someone to give me a place to crash just two weeks from tonight.

I'll keep my fingers crossed, and you wish me luck!

I Can't Do Work

2011-10-18T23:38:00.004-04:00

For the past nine hours, I've had a Word document open. For the past nine hours, all that has been written is "SEPTIC ARTHRITIS" in size 20 font.

I literally cannot bring myself to put this presentation together.

Senioritis strikes back with a vengeance.

Revenge Is Mine!

2011-10-18T14:30:00.002-04:00

I'm spending the day with the Charlottesville-Albemarle Rescue Squad, and you know who provided lunch today? That's right, Ariana Grill Kabob House!

You see, if I can't eat you for cheap, then I won't eat you at all. But if I can eat you for free, I will eat you until I pass out.

I am the winnar! (^_^) Y

Double Whammy

2011-10-17T23:33:00.002-04:00

So, I'm a little behind on my work hours. But it's not my fault, I swear! I couldn't work any shifts last weekend because of the wedding and I couldn't work any shifts this weekend because of Homecomings, so I started making up for it today by taking on a 9a-12p Toxicology shift followed by a 3p-11p adult ED shift. Yeah, it made for a long day, but at least I got to break it up with another trip to Ariana Grill Kabob House, this time with Derek and Sunny for $3.99 lunch.

Or so I thought.

We got there and took our seats outside. The server brought us three glasses of ice water, silverware, and menus. And then we saw it: a lack of lunch specials. Even the banner advertising $3.99 kabob wraps had been taken down from the front porch! Our world came crashing to a halt! At the risk of looking extremely cheap, we sheepishly told our server that we would no longer be eating there and left. Okay, fine, we made Sunny do it. Oh, the shame!!

My failure of a lunch experience was merely a foreshadowing of how my ED shift would be: by the time I left tonight, there was an eight hour wait for the adult ED and a five hour wait for the peds ED. It was the worst of times, it was the worst of times.

HOOS the Exterminator

2011-10-16T18:02:00.000-04:00

Two things could have happened yesterday: it could have been the best day of my life, or I could have ended up in jail. Seeing as how I'm posting on my blog right now, it's safe to say that we went with the former.

It all began with a brunch hosted by Lizzie. Bodo's bagels, bacon, eggs, and mimosas? Talk about a breakfast of champions!

After briefly catching up with my friends who were there, I headed over to the house that Stevie and Steph had rented for the weekend and picked up our friends for the wedding tailgate. Unsurprisingly, Stevie's mom prepared a bountiful feast for the party. I'd like to say that we cleaned up, but we only managed to make a notable dent in the food and the beer.

Soon it was time to head into the game, which turned out to be one of the greatest games I've ever attended. Apparently all of the other fans agreed, too: we rushed the field after clenching a 24-21 victory against 12th ranked Georgia Tech. It was my second time rushing the field of a UVA game, but it was my first time getting a picture with Cavman on the 50-yard line.

Still on a high from winning the game, we ventured over to Young Alumni Reunions. Sure, the party filled up quickly and I had to sneak Josh and Paul in, but that just made it all the more awesome. Not that there was much room for improvement given the unlimited food from Wayside Chicken, Take It Away, and Arch's plus a beer truck carrying both Bud Light and Shock Top. Man, I hope this is what Heaven is like. Also, I hope to get a picture with Thomas Jefferson there, just like Steph got a picture with a cardboard cutout of his image at YAR.

The party ended at 11pm, and the smart thing to do would have been to go home. After all, we had a Trustees meeting at 10am the next morning, and a good night's sleep after the madness of the day would have been nice. But how could we possibly waste the three golden hours before bars closed? Plus, when have I ever been known to make the "smart" decision?

I'm not going to lie: when I woke up this morning, I wanted to die. But that's a small price to pay for what will forever stand as the most epic day of my entire life. Thank you, UVA, for being the happiest place on earth.

Can't Escape

2011-10-14T18:57:00.003-04:00

I had to leave my shift in the ED today in order to go play piano for the Musical Theatre Ensemble class at Charlottesville High School. And just when I thought I had gotten away from the madness of the hospital...

Literally one minute into rehearsal, one of the girls started feeling uncomfortable. She had a history of supraventricular tachycardias, but this time she was feeling weaker and her heart rate was faster than it had ever been before.

At that point, I initiated vagal maneuvers, ranging from having her hold her breath to having her bear down to even performing carotid massage on her. The school nurse arrived a few minutes later and took her to the clinic to lay down. I'm not sure what happened to her after that, but I hope she's doing better now.

The event itself made me realize how powerless I am without the gadgets and gizmos in the hospital. By the end of it, all I wanted was an EKG and some IV adenosine, but I had nothing with me out in the field. Sigh, being a doctor is going to be hard!

Three Halves Are Better Than Two

2011-10-13T23:47:00.001-04:00

Ariana Grill Kabob House! I will sing its praises.

First, a little back story. Jim is staying in town for the week in between the wedding and Homecomings. We've been working out together but more importantly eating out together at all of the good ole Charlottesville restaurants. I've been to Ariana in the past, but recently they started a $3.99 lunch menu that I've been hankering for, and since I didn't pick up a shift in the Emergency Department today, we had the perfect opportunity to check it out.

Lee, Jim, and I all went for the lamb kabob wrap. It. Was. Effing. Delicious. Especially when eaten with that green sauce. What's in it? Crack cocaine? I don't know, but everything tasted amazing. So amazing, in fact, that Lee and I split a second lamb kabob wrap. We ate like kings at such a low price!

At the end of our meal, the owner brought us all a cup of hot green tea with rosewater on the house. Was she trying to win me over? Because if so, she succeeded. I'm going back. Like, tomorrow.

Buyer Beware

2011-10-12T15:52:00.006-04:00

I went grocery shopping hungry last weekend. I know, I know, I've been told you're not supposed to do that. I thought I learned my lesson when I went shopping after working out one time in college and ended up buying a 12-pound turkey that was on sale, which inadvertently led to the first annual Hallowanksgiving celebration at Venable Court Apartments in October 2005. But I digress.

So, I bought a lot of food. But that is not what this post is about. This post is about one particular item that I purchased. This item is called a Titan High Protein Bar.

You see, I had never eaten a protein bar before. And so many of them were on sale at Kroger! My hunger after an intense Plyometrics workout combined with my innate Asian love for sales left me no choice: I had to buy one and try it. Out of the entire shelf, I ended up going with this one because I love my dog Titan and I thought maybe I would love my protein bar Titan as well.

Well, I was wrong, and it was bad. Not gag-and-spit-it-out-of-my-mouth bad, not swallow-but-throw-the-rest-of-it-away bad, but more like this-tastes-like-cardboard-and-I-don't-want-it-anymore-but-I-already-paid-for-it-so-I'm-going-to-finish-it bad.

Moral of the story: if you've never tried a protein bar, then this one is not the first one you should try, unless your goal is to develop a visceral reaction to the name of your beloved pet.

Wind Taken Out of My Sails

2011-10-11T17:13:00.000-04:00

My spirit has been crushed. I just came back from my LASIK consultation appointment, and to make a long story short, I am not a candidate for the procedure.

To make a short story long, my cornea is actually perfectly healthy and able to tolerate the procedure, but the level of myopia in my right eye is too severe (-8.5 diopters). In order to correct my vision, they would have to remove so much tissue that the remaining corneal layer would be too thin to tolerate physiologic intraorbital pressure. I also don't qualify for PRK because the extent of the procedure would put me at risk for severe scarring.

The good news is that there's something coming down the pipeline (isn't there always?) that basically functions like a contact lens implanted permanently into the cornea, called an intracorneal inlay. It's currently in Phase III Clinical Trials, so maybe in the next few years this will be an option for me.

Until then, I'll just have to continue looking incredibly dashing in my stylish glasses.

Kitteh Has Regretz

2011-10-10T15:04:00.000-04:00

Last year, I had the time of my life at the 2010 Harriman Cup. This year, I needed to save money for residency applications and interviews, so I did the right thing and stayed in Charlottesville that weekend. Or so I thought.

As it turns out, I missed the opportunity of a lifetime. Not only did my friends have a blast at the annual UVa vs. Yale alumni polo match, they were even featured on Guest of a Guest, an website covering New York social news and interest stories.

The caption for this beautiful photo? "The entire album screams Hilfiger ad, but there were a couple of shots that really stepped up their game on the Hilfiger front. Seriously, they should consider heading to the next casting call."

I'm so jealous right now that it's giving me angina.

Jenniven vs. Kevifer

2011-10-09T22:02:00.000-04:00

My good friends Jennifer and Kevin got married yesterday. It was a special wedding to me for several reasons, not the least of which is because Kev and Jen are the only couple I've ever shared a bed with simultaneously. The story is long and really doesn't make sense even when told properly, so I'll spare you all the details.

The ceremony at the UVA Chapel was short and sweet (seriously, it lasted all of 15 minutes), and before I knew it, we had been whisked downtown for the reception at The Jefferson Theatre.

The decorations there were great, especially the fake movie posters they made with pictures of Kev and Jen. I also loved the bottles of wine they laid out front that we could write messages on. Of course, I went for the big money and picked the one they're supposed to open on their 50th anniversary. While other people left sentimental and thoughtful notes, I wrote, "Hope you guys still remember who I am! -Sam."

The rest of the evening was a blur: there was bacon-wrapped shrimp that blew my socks off, there was a buffet that gave me such a large food baby that I nearly tore through my vest, and there was dancing. Boy, was there dancing. Unfortunately I never got a picture with Jen, but I did get this great picture with Kev. It looks like Jim is photobombing it, but I swear, we totally meant for him to be in the picture, too.

This morning, I woke up to find the last text that I had sent last night was in fact a mass text to everyone I had hung out with at the wedding:

LET IT BE KNOWN THAT I LOVE MY FRIENDS!
It's all too true.

Fyat Cyat

2011-10-08T12:36:00.001-04:00

Yes, it's true: I ate too much last night. Maybe it was the rush of seeing all of my college friends in town, maybe it was the result of working out too hard earlier in the day, or maybe it was simply because I am a fyat cyat, but I had not one but two late night meals.

First stop: Last Call Dogs, a late night food truck service that meats (hiyo!) all of your midnight cravings.

Second stop: The White Spot, where the patties taste strangely delicious despite being stored next to the bathroom door. Whatever, I'm sure all of the bacteria are killed during the cooking process. Right? Right??

Now, why do I feel so guilty after eating six meals yesterday? FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS!

Non-Emergent

2011-10-06T19:05:00.000-04:00

I worked my first real Emergency Medicine shift today. I don't count Monday because I went home after Orientation, I don't count Tuesday because I worked in Express Care, and I don't count Wednesday because I basically just had seven hours of teaching. And you know how many patients I saw today? Four. That's right: during my eight hours in the Emergency Department today, I saw one, two, three, four patients.

Part of the reason was that we had several boarders from the night before that were awaiting admission, which prevented the nurses from bringing back the new patients for us to examine. Luckily, I am suffering from a severe case of senioritis, and to be honest, I was pretty happy to have a low-key day. In fact, I think I'd be happy to have low-key days for the rest of my life. Can't I just skip the 40 or so years ahead of me and go straight from graduation to retirement? Come on, please??

No Rules, Just Right

2011-10-04T23:22:00.002-04:00

Having burned off a million calories this past weekend (90% of which was spent on maintaining homeostasis in the setting of temperatures in the 40s), I felt no guilt cashing in on my free meal at Outback Steakhouse last night. Josh, Sunny, and I treated ourselves to free steaks and, of course, an appetizer of bloomin' onion. During dinner, I came to the sad realization that the last time I had eaten at Outback was when I was still in college. That, my friends, is far too long of an interval in between visits to America's seventh best chain restaurant.

Speaking of Pac-Man (Huh? No, I wasn't!), here's a video from me to you. Or rather, from Random Encounters to you via me. Technicalities.

On Target

2011-10-03T21:44:00.000-04:00

Before we left for our epic whitewater adventure last Friday, I helped Troy out with one of his work assignments. To make a long story short, he needed to film a training video, and I made my acting debut as a terrorist attempting to place an improvised explosive device (IED). For the majority of the video, I played a dead body while Troy narrated how to properly search my body, sort the contents of my pockets, and document his findings.

It may not sound like it, but playing a dead body in an open field was kind of fun, especially since I had only gotten one hour of sleep the night before in the CCU. In fact, I'm pretty sure I fell asleep during one of the scenes. The only hard part was trying not to react whenever bugs landed on my face or crawled across my arm.

To thank me for my help, Troy let me fire some of his weapons. I'd never held a gun before Friday, so getting to shoot his M24 sniper rifle was pretty much the coolest thing I've ever done. I even hit the two-liter bottle Troy had set up as a target about 100m away on my very first try, much to my own surprise.

Troy also let me wield his AK-47 assault rifle and his 9mm handgun. Personally, I found the 9mm much harder to use than the M24. It was also really loud and I had some pretty severe tinnitus in my left ear despite wearing earplugs.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go revel in my new-found machismo.

Survivor: Gad

2011-10-02T23:48:00.001-04:00

After two years of waiting, we finally finished what we set out to do: we have conquered the Gauley River! This weekend, eight of us braved the elements to do the Upper and Lower Gauley Marathon, a 23-mile trip down some of the best whitewater rapids in the world. I'm not kidding about the elements: the high temperature on Saturday was 44°F and the water was a warm 52°F. But somehow, we survived, and we kicked butt on the river, if I do say so myself.

Of course, this is mostly because we had the greatest river guide of all time, Jeff. This is his 20th year as a guide on the Gauley River, and he happens to train all of the new guides every year. Basically, he knows everything about every rapid at every water level. We had an extremely unique experience because the day we went, the Army Corps of Engineers was releasing 3200ft³/s of water, while the typical release level is 2400 to 2800ft³/s. Needless to say, we were in for the ride of our lives.

The most exciting weekend of my life is winding down, and I think I'm ready for a nice, long sleep in my own comfy bed. I'll see you on the flip side, trailblazers!

In-N-Out

2011-09-30T13:24:00.001-04:00

What? I can't believe it. I'm already done with my two-week Coronary Care Unit rotation. I actually ended up liking it way more than I expected to, and it made me wonder: if we had rotated through the different subspecialties in Internal Medicine during our third year, would I have ended up wanting to be an adult cardiologist instead of a pediatric cardiologist? Because it turns out I don't just love the baby hearts, I love the adult hearts, too.

But that's neither here nor there. What is here is the fact that not only did I finish my CCU rotation today, I also finished my last inpatient rotation until I start my intern year. Am I excited for the freedom of shift work and regular office hours? Yes. Am I terrified that when I start my career as a physician next summer, I'll have completely forgotten how to take care of sick patients? Um, yes again.

Ah well, we will cross that bridge when we cross that bridge.

Out of Context

2011-09-28T14:50:00.000-04:00

"If she doesn't put out as much as we want her to, then we'll have to force her to put out. Wow. That sounded terrible."

Get your mind out of the gutter, you pervert. We were talking about diuresis of a heart failure patient. What did you think we were referring to??

See No Evil

2011-09-27T20:22:00.001-04:00

I'm doing it. I'm taking the plunge. I'm going to be assessed for LASIK surgery!

LivingSocial offered a half-off deal on corrective vision surgery from LasikPro earlier in the year, but I was too chicken to actually go through with it. Well, Coop has more guts than I do, because she has not only been to her appointment, but she is also a week out from her surgery! She seems to be enjoying the results, so when LivingSocial decided to offer the deal again, I jumped at the opportunity.

I still have a million questions I want to ask, but now I'm at least one step closer to being able to see without glasses. Simply amazing!