I didn't know Jesus Christ liked football so much...

To listen to Tim Tebow, you'd think that Jesus sits at the gates of heaven with a giant foam finger and a Florida Gators Pennant. Now listen, I'm glad that Tebow has accepted Jesus Christ as his savior -- I truly am, but I don't think Jesus has been following the Heisman race that closely. I tend to think Jesus has a few more important things intended for Tim than a bronze trophy or even a career in football. Football just isn't that important. I know, to hear me talk about the game you might consider me somewhat hypocritical on this account, but Jesus has more important battles to fight than Heisman balloting.

6 days... the semester will be over in 6 days. One week from this second I will be somewhere over the plains states in a jet headed for Vegas.

Hate to Feel

Stare At Me With Empty Eyes And
Point Your Words At Me
Mirror On The Wall Will Show You
What You're Scared To See

I Can See, Yeah - (Wish I Couldn't See At All)
I Can Feel - (Wish I Couldn't Feel At All)
Hate To See - (Wish I Couldn't See At All)
Hate To Feel - (Wish I Couldn't Feel At All)

All This Time I Swore I'd Never
Be Like My Old Man
What The Hay It's Time To Face
Exactly What I Am

- Hate to Feel, Alice in Chains (Staley).
From Dirt, 1992

Stuck inside of Mobile with the Memhpis Blues

I think it's official that I'm now homesick. I mean today was Thanksgiving... and I was no closer than 750 miles to my nearest blood relative. Matt, a classmate, (or Barney Rubble as I affectionately refer to him) was kind enough to invite me to his house. His family was very nice and inviting, and the food was great. But somehow being there just made me miss home more. Well, Christmas break is only 3 weeks and 24 hours away.

The Buckeyes triumphed (again, again, again, again) over L-L-L-L-Lloyd Carr and his pitiful band of rebels ... err, wolverines (Star Wars geek anyone?). It was *I* who allowed the Alliance to know the location of the shield generator. ahem... I was excited... even if the game was really sloppy.
I'm still holding out hope for that possible but slim chance of a WVU or LSU loss with Oklahoma pulling an upset in the Big12 Championship game giving my Buckeyes and Jim Tressel another National Title shot.

Wish me luck on the end of the semester, three more exams and hopefully satisfactory progress on my thesis.

Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.

All in All, You're Just Another Brick in the Wall

Ok.
Just a little pinprick. [ping]
There'll be no more --aaaaaahhhhh!
But you may feel a little sick.

Can you stand up?
I do believe its working... good.
That'll keep you going for the show.
Come on its time to go.

There is no pain, you are receding.
A distant ships smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're sayin'.
When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse,
Out of the corner of my eye.
I turned to look but it was gone.
I cannot put my finger on it now.
The child is grown, the dream is gone.
I have become comfortably numb.

-Pink Floyd, Comfortably Numb.
1979. The Wall

Viva Las Vegas!

I'm totally stoked right now, more so than I have since I have been here. I rocked an exam today, and I feel really good about it. In addition, it is now official that I will be headed to Las Vegas right after my last exam this semester (with a one night stop in Ohio -- GHIII and beer). The only down note right now is that it got dark tonight at 5:20. Pitch black dark. It was crazy, but I guess that's how it is on the eastern edge of a time zone.

Lady luck, let the dice stay hot.

Viva, Viva, Las VEGAS!!!

The Horror... The Horror

War is awful. War is by definition just about the worst that mankind is capable of (though I do feel that some of the best in mankind has shined through the darkness of war). As a Christian, I hate going to war.

But I hate the consequences of not fighting some wars more than I hate war. As most of you probably know, I support the Iraq war. I know that most of America does not. I do not agree with everything about the war -- many of the policy decisions coming from the Bush administration have been erroneous. I'm still glad we made the decision to go to war, even though its much harder to go to war than to pretend there could be peace.

Most conservatives hate the comparison of the Iraq war to the Vietnam war. I do not, and I'm going to explain why.
The Korean war, the Vietnam war, and the Iraq war, while fought in totally different eras, locations and political circumstances have similar objectives. The Vietnam war was not, in my opinion a "mistake." However, it was a failure. It was largely a failure due to policy choices made by administrators (both military and governmental) who weren't staring down an AK-47 or a SAM battery.
The Korean war, on the other hand, was a total success. Anyone who thinks differently should look at the difference between the two Koreas today. South Korea exists only because America saved it from becoming North Korea.
What then, was the difference?

The Vietnam war is often termed the "TV War."
That's why we lost the war.
Americans don't like to see blood.
Again, as a Christian I don't like to see blood shed either. But we don't live in pixie-stick fairy tale land where nothing bad ever happens and we get free passes on hard decisions.

Please watch this clip so that you can better understand what I am talking about in the following paragraphs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5npYWfRlkw
It's the most famous part of Apocalypse Now, starring Martin Sheen and Marlon Brando.

War is awful, and you cannot clean it up. Brando explains that the Vietnamese were stronger than us because they were able to do terrible things without judgment. Our judgment defeats us. What does this mean? Well, it means that the United States would never intentionally maim the children of a village (nor am I advocating that we do), but that our enemies are more than willing to decapitate US soldiers with a saw. It's hard to win in that scenario. It gets even harder to win when we lose the fortitude to fight a war because we don't like to see young men die.
Please note: I am categorically NOT advocating that the US commit war crimes.
I am advocating that you let some brave young men and women do their job, even if their job is to make a friend out of horror.

The good thing, to this point anyway, is that we have a commander in chief who has a strong enough will to stick out the really, really hard times. We have someone with a strong enough will to do the right thing, no matter how painful. That's part of the reason I'm a pretty big fan of Dubya.

Last and most controversial point...
Going back to what I said about Americans not liking blood:
News outlets know this. CBS's "Tonight's Hero" or whatever is designed to get that emotion out of you. They have an agenda, and their playing very dirty to get what they want. They know America doesn't want to see the face of a dead young American (and neither do I.) They aren't showing this because the person is a hero (which they are -- these people ARE heroes) but to get that emotional response from you... to make the war less popular... to end the war.

And the American press/media (especially CBS) is liberal, facts are facts:
http://www.politicalgateway.com/main/columns/read.html?col=486

And don't forget that 90% of American Journalists' campaign donations go to Democrats.

The Horror of that... The Horror...

Beware the Ides of Posts

So, I'm pretty much sucking in terms of churning out posts. It's a good thing my career won't involve doing a lot of things on a schedule, like being a doctor or anything like that.

Things have changed.

The weather for one.
You see, the fall has finally hit our beautiful area. Previously, it was hot beyond all sanity. It was super-villain hot. The arch-evil Heat, and his partner in crime Humidity wreaked havoc on our fair city. However, with the help of our super-hero Air Conditioning (and his wimpy, possibly gay sidekick -- Fan) we were able to survive the summer.

My brother's marital status for another.
The wedding was B-E-A-utiful and I had a wonderful time. There are some pictures both great and terrible. My brother is now back from Hawaii and he and his bride had a great time there. I'm happy for him. Unfortunately his wedding put me at somewhat of a disadvantage for my last exam. I passed, but still feel I did quite poorly. This means that...

My studying habits have changed.
I'm now in class or studying about 12 hours a weekday, and about 8 hours on Sunday. I manage about two hours of actual work on Saturday. For those of you who are not mathematicians, that's about 70 a week. That's a lot of learning.

So that's the latest update, a whole bunch of Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes, as one David Bowie would put it.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-Changes
Don't want to be a richer man
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-Changes
Just gonna have to be a different man
Time may change me
But I can't trace time

I like David Bowie. You shut up.

My next post, if and when I get the time/effort to do it, will concern:
War
How war changed in the 20th century
How I feel this relates to our current situations: in Iraq, against Terror, and at home

I will be doing all of this based on what I have taken from "Apocalypse Now," one of the best war movies ever made.

Under Pressure

You may have noticed, (if you're that one reader) that I haven't updated my blog in almost 3 full weeks. That's because school has started for real, and I've been busy.
It's the terror of knowing what this world is about. I'm doing okay in classes so far, but I feel I need to do better. I don't think being ever-so-slightly below the average is going to impress that many folks. On the other hand, I am competing against future doctors. It's hard, and I study lots but I guess I didn't exactly expect different.
But I don't like complaining about it... I signed up for it, and it will totally be worth it if, 5 years from now, I can sign my name as:
Bob, MD.
So that's school stuff.
da da dup bup bup
Okay
What about current events?
Well, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a huge douche, but who didn't already know that one?
Boy, did we have a wild one in college football today. 5 of the top 10 teams in the nation lost. Ohio State will be moving up to #4 in the nation. Also, this sets up a huge meeting next week between Purdue (my brothers alma mater) and Ohio State. As you may know, next weekend is also my brother's wedding, meaning we will be together for the game -- but not watching it due to a rehearsal dinner (insert gay little frowny-face here -- but not if you're from Iran).
I also love John Edwards, for making it so easy to be conservative.
Watching some good friends
Screaming let me out!

Other than that, not a whole lot going on in my life.
Wish me luck on my embryology exam this Monday. I should be fine, I know all about storks.

Pray tomorrow takes me higher!

I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend

This morning General Petraeus testified before Congress. Also this morning, the New York Times (or "Toilet Paper," as I like to call it) ran a full page ad saying something to the effect that "Petraeus betrayed us." Clever rhyming aside, what the hell is wrong with the people on the left in this country. Petraeous gave a more or less cautiously optimistic appraisal of Iraq which pissed off many far-left liberals in this country. Truth be told, many (not all) on the left do not WANT the US to succeed in Iraq. Besides being socially and patriotically irresponsible, this is a blatantly stupid attitude.
Tomorrow is the 6th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11th. Say what you will about links from Saddam to 9/11, but the fact is that people must wake up and realize that yes, events happening 10,000 miles from home do have a serious effect on America. The world is safer now that Saddam is not in power, and the world will be safer if we pull out the "W" in Iraq. I certainly do not agree with the Bush administration on many of the facets of the war. But I am glad we went, and I want us to win. I can see your point if you disagree with the way the administration sold the war. I can respect you if you think going to war was a bad idea, though again I would definitely say that the world is safer with Saddam dead. But if you want America to lose, your a disgrace to this country.
I agree with several liberal ideas, and though as a whole I would definitely call myself conservative I hate some Republican stances. But some on the left (mostly what Bill O'Reilly would call "the far left") in this country are hurting this country, and it needs to end.

If you do not want to see me again, I would understand.
Perhaps I'm just the angry boy, a bit too insane.

Across the Field!

We're two weeks into college football's 2007 season and already some very interesting happenings have... happened.
Notre Dame and Michigan are both 0-2. This is the first time this has ever happened in the 110 some odd years of football at these two schools. For Notre Dame this is understandable, they have no talent whatsoever. Their offense is one of the worst I have ever seen from a major college team. The Notre Dame defense is bad, to put it kindly.
But let's take a closer look at Michigan. Their defense was a big question mark coming into this season, and we've now found out why. Their defense from last year was less than stellar, and they appear to have lost not only all of that talent, but also the leadership that went with it. Still, their offense has considerable skill, and most of it has been working together for quite some time. They obviously should have beaten App. State, and should have at least made a respectable showing against Oregon. What happened? Well, it's hard to put it onto one thing. Firstly their defense is atrocious, and it's clear that D-coordinator Ron English is nothing special. Secondly, I would say that the team has lost confidence in head coach Llllloyd Carr (Ohio State fans put five "L's" in his name to demonstrate his 5 losses to Jim Tressel in 6 seasons). On some level or another Carr seems to be wholly out of touch with his players. It's not so much an age thing as it is a demeanor. Carr is the anti-players coach, not for disciplinary reasons... but because he's a dick. Sorry to put it so bluntly, but players can't identify with a man with such an ego and callousness in his soul. Obviously Carr has done some great things at Michigan, but it's time for him to go. This is a sad thing for Ohio State fans. Why?
What kind of car does Jim Tressel own?
A Llllloyd Carr.

Talkin' Hampton Roads

Rambling out of the sweet Midwest
Leaving the towns that I love the best
Thought I'd seen some ups and downs
Til' I come into Norfolk town.
Roads goin' under the ground
Buildings goin up to the sky...

Summertime in Norfolk town
No wind to blow the heat around
Walk around with nowhere to go
Somebody could melt right to the bone
I melted to the bone
Virginian Pilot said it was the hottest summer in 17 years,
I didn't feel so hot then.

Well, I got a med school job, begun to play,
Beatin' my brains out for a dollar a day.
I learned inside out and upside down.
The man there said he loved m' thoughts,
He was ravin' about how he loved m' thoughts;
Dollar a day's worth.

Now, a very great man once said
That some people rob you with a fountain pen.
It didn't take too long to find out
Just what he was talkin' about.
A lot of students don't have many books on their desk
But they got a lot of syllabi n' notes,
And they gotta learn somethin'.

So one mornin' when my learnin's done
I'll ramble out of Norfolk town
Pull my cap down over my eyes
And head out for the western skies
So long, Hampton Roads
Howdy, who knows where

*This is a rip-off of a Bob Dylan folk song, "Talkin' New York," from 1962, and if you knew the song, you'd find this post mildly amusing. But, nobody I know would know this song... so it's kind of lost on all you fine folk, isn't it...

Doctor, Doctor -- Gimme the news!

What is medical school like?

Well, I'm not entirely sure yet, but it seems an awful lot like high school -- with much harder classes of course. Speaking of course difficulty - so far (after only one low stakes exam) I'm high passing one class (though most people high pass/honors pass it) and right at the average for a second course. Not bad, but I've got more work to do if I'm going to get to where I want to be.

Of course, my view of medical school will be different from that of someone who has gone/is going to med school at a large public school, or a prestigious private (Ivy) school. You see my medical school has about 115 people per class. Furthermore, the EVMS campus proper is all of about 4 buildings. We're small. Kind of like my high school actually. So everyday is sit in the same classroom, with the same people, with the same (four) professors. Kind of like high school. Still, the people are all intelligent, the people teaching the classes care, and it isn't a massive drama/clique driving machine -- not at all like high school.

The professor in my (only -- for this semester) Master's Degree only class is a man of about 65 years of age. He's a succinct, no-nonsense, bastard of an old man. He also tells sexist jokes, and apparently gives much higher grades to pretty girls. Yeah, I think it's fair to say I liked him from the start. He's also relatively high on the admissions committee, and I think he likes me -- or at least doesn't hate me.
I was shocked to learn today though, that he's a recovering alcoholic. I want to say a few things about alcoholism for the close of this post. I do feel somewhat bad for people (such as my old prof.) who have struggled with alcohol addiction. Given the appropriate opportunity I would do what I could to help people with such an addiction. But alcoholism is not a disease. It's an addiction, and there are obviously biochemical changes within such a person. But alcoholism is the result of weak people who've made repeated bad choices. Calling it a disease, when it is self-inflicted is a smack in the face of people who have been hurt/crippled/killed by real diseases.
There's my rant of the day.
My brother's wedding is only a month away. Being the best man I have to give a speech. I have it more or less planned out -- though I've yet to put pen to paper for the finishing touches. I have a feeling that about 10 people are going to think that I gave an excellent toast/speech, and everyone else is either going to think it was boring and stupid or worse. I'm still going to do it, because it's what I believe in. Consequences be damned!

Hail to the Victors!

As you, my beloved readers, must by now know -- Michigan was defeated in football by Appalachian State yesterday, 34-32. Appalachian State, from Boone, NC is the two-time defending 1-AA National Champions. They are an excellent Championship Division (new NCAAese for 1-AA) team. But, were still giant underdogs against Michigan. In my opinion, this was the greatest upset not only in college football, or ever football history, but the history of sports. David slew Goliath yesterday. This got me thinking back to other great upsets, and below is my list of the 5 greatest upsets in history.

1. Appalachian State defeats Michigan, Football, 2007 (see above).
2. Bill Clinton defeats George H.W. Bush, U.S. Presidential Election, 1992. Many of you who are around my age will not think that this was an upset -- especially if you liked Clinton as a president (I did not and I admit it, but this did not color my decision here). Bush had an approval rating of 89% only 18 months before the election. He also left office with an approval rating of 56%. In the time between the Clinton campaign did an unbelievable job, and that along with Ross Perot getting 19% of the popular vote meant that Clinton won 370 electoral votes, compared to Bush's 168. (The popular vote was a much closer 42.9%-37.1%.)
3. Muhammad Ali defeats George Foreman, Heavyweight Boxing, 1974. Ali was a 3-1 underdog, way past his prime, and Foreman was the most athletic Boxer between Fraiser and Tyson. Rope-a-dope gets 'em every time.
4. Buster Douglas defeats Mike Tyson, Heavyweight Boxing, 1990. Tyson was the best boxer in the history of boxing. He lost because he gave up. There's not much else to say. Sad story though.
5. NC State defeats Field, 1983 NCAA Basketball Tournament. The Wolfpack were a #6 seed in that tournament -- still the lowest to win the title. Coached by Jim Valvano, the 'pack were only 17-10 before winning the ACC tourney, and then the NCAA tourney. Helluva year. Jim Valvano was an amazing person, and his tragic death does not cover the brightness of his life. Please watch this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePXlkqkFH6s . This was his speech for accepting the Arthur Ashe award at the 1993 Espy's. I urge you to listen to this speech and take it to heart. It will make you laugh, it will make you think, and it will make you cry (it makes me cry like a baby.) Jimmy V passed away only 8 weeks after this speech.

*Noticeably absent from this list is the 1980 U.S. Hockey team defeating The Soviet Union in the Olympics. I don't care about hockey, and this game has been totally blown out of proportion. Firstly, the U.S. Hockey team was no slouch -- they were the 3rd best team in that Olympic year. Secondly, the only reason this is so famous is that people looked at this contest as so much more than a game. It was a symbolism of the Cold War as a whole. It wasn't -- it was just a damn hockey game.

So there you have it.

If you disagree, or wish to add another one, please post a comment and tell me about it.

Ode to my car

(drum intro)
1991 Acura Integra -- bare bones
I loved you from first sight
I bought you with student loans
And now you share my plight

Your power-steering goes in & out
You have a huge dent from some jerk
Your lack of a radio antenna makes me shout
To get you up to 60 mph takes a lot of work

Your AC sounds like a dying darth vader
But at least it keeps me cool
One who doesn't love you is just a hater
You're so unfit for highways I can only take you to school

(guitar solo)

We made the 10 hour drive from Ohio
Your poor lumbar support made me cry
You've been so good, thats no lie-o
I'll hate to watch you die

(tambourine shakes)
You'll Die, I'll Cry
You'll Die, You tried
You'll Die, I'll sigh
You'll Die, Goodbye
(repeat and fade out)

There's no crying in football!

If you want to engage in an exercise in futility, I suggest you attempt to be the coach of a girl's powderpuff football team. The M1/Medical Masters girls are playing the M2 girl in a powderpuff football game sometime in late September/early October. We had about 10-12 guys show up in an effort to coach 25-30 girls. I was the only guy who had any actual football experience, and most of the girls didn't understand basic fundamental concepts of football (i.e. a forward pass, who the quarterback is, what the line of scrimmage is, etc.).
Now, come on. I know you have to have seen at least a portion of a football game before. Surely your high school had a football team, you must have went to a game?
I did my best, but it was pretty similar to coaching 6 year olds amped up on sugar. Don't get me wrong, the girls were good sports about it, and I think we all had fun. But it wasn't exactly productive, and I really want to win this game.
I'm too competitive aren't I?

I'd like to comment on the Michael Vick situation while we're on the subject of disgraced footballers.

In case you have been living under a rock for the past 3 months, with your eyes closed tight, and your fingers in your ears -- you can look up the background to the situation here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Newz_Kennels_dog_fighting_investigation

Okay, Vick is a scumbag, and this is a despicable thing. However -- Vick and his brother were both scumbags long before this broke. They're not good people, anyone with any judge of character should have known this for years.
On top of that -- this is dogs that are being killed/maimed/whatever. Now look, I like dogs, but people are taking this way, way too far. Killing dogs just for fun is wrong, but there are much, much worse things that a person could do. It's only because we have decided that we like dogs that anybody cares about them getting killed.
If you don't believe me, think about this: there are certain animals which, should I see them, I go out of my way to kill. So do you. We all kill cockroaches, spiders, ants, etc. with every chance we get. You could make the argument that a dog is a higher-order animal, and therefore has certain senses (pain, emotions, etc.) that these lower-order animals do not have. That's probably true, but:
a) does that entitle dogs, but not insects and arachnids to certain dignities? Why is that true? Isn't that a pretty arbitrary set of rules to play by?
b) we sanction the killing of animals at least as intelligent as dogs everyday with hunting licenses. Please - don't misunderstand this and think that I am against hunting. But hunting is the intentional killing of animals for fun.
We've just decided that because we like dogs, killing them makes a person inhumane and despicable.
Celebrities get away with much, much worse everyday (something that causes harm to human beings for example) with a much lower penalty. Take Ray Lewis, for example. An NFL player, of the same fame and skill level as Michael Vick. Ray Lewis was proven, in a court of law, to have lied to police who were investigating the murder of a person. Lewis did this in an attempt to protect a guilty friend. Ray Lewis was therefore an accessory to murder, and by definition a conspirator of murder.
Lewis served no jail time, and I don't believe he missed an NFL game.
Again, don't get me wrong, I like dogs. But where the hell have our priorities gone?

Do you like apples?

Well, I got her number -- how do you like dem apples?

I came home from class today (~noon) and my internet did not work. Not shocking, since every cable internet provider I've had has spotty service. I also noticed that my cable tv was out though. On a whim, I decided to check on my outside connection. The box was ripped open, and my cable was cut.
Interesting.
Following the now cut cable back to it's source led me to my cable output ... which had a note on it.
More interesting.
Reading the note provided me with the info that my landlord had intentionally cut my cable, because he didn't like the way it was hooked up. Are you kidding me?
Long story short I have cable and internet 7 hours later, and my landlord was billed for the technician's time and service. Joke's on you, buttpipe.

On another note, medical school (even my slightly easier version) is not easy. Shocking, I know.

If we weren't all crazy, we would go insane.

Gotta love family problems. They're especially fun when your family has been ripped apart by divorce. Apparently, my parents must act like 6 year olds who are fighting whenever they are involved in the same thing. Because of this, my brother and I have been forced to involve the both of them in only life's most important events. My brother's wedding being a fairly important event, they are both invited -- his mistake. He's the one who has to bear the brunt of the unpleasant force, but I've also been dragged in with drama queen-esque phone calls. Are you kidding me? Your 50, and you've been divorced for 10+ years now. Get over it.

Anyway, as promised, my college football preview:

Conference Winners:
ACC Atlantic: Clemson
ACC Coastal: Miami
ACC Championship Winner: Clemson

Big12 North: Missouri
Big12 South: Texas
Big12 Championship Winner: Texas

Big East: West Virginia

Big10: Ohio State*

Conference USA East: Southern Miss
Conference USA West: Tulsa
Conference USA Championship Winner: Southern Miss

MAC East: Miami
MAC West: Central Michigan
MAC Championship Winner: Central Michigan

Mountain West: TCU

Pac10: USC

SEC East: Florida
SEC West: Arkansas
SEC Championship Winner: Arkansas

Sunbelt: Troy

WAC: Hawaii

BCS Bowls:
Rose: Ohio State* defeats Cal
Sugar: Arkansas defeats Clemson
Orange: Michigan defeats Florida
Fiesta: Texas defeats Hawaii

BCS Championship: USC defeats West Virginia

* Yes, I am an Ohio State grad. Yes, I am also aware that most sports magazines have picked us to finish 2nd or 3rd in the Big10 (I've not seen one pick the Bucks to win it). However, this is not a homer pick. We are ranked 10th in the nation (Coaches Poll), and we have an absolute cupcake schedule until week 9 in Happy Valley. We also get Wisconsin at home. And, Jim Tressel does, in fact, own Lllloyd Carr. Besides, its not like I picked OSU to go all the way. We will probably lose one of our three toughest games.

Anyway, there it is. Now scamper along kiddies.

Instant Karma!

Karma Police, arrest this man.

I went for my tri/quad-weekly two mile run this morning. Just before it was almost over I almost got hit by a car turning left. I was not pleased. I was still a little angry about it when my first class started today, and unnecessarily so -- it wasn't that close, it wasn't that big of a deal, and it was an accident.
Through several random events -- including: my last name being near the top alphabetically, my professor missing a few names, and my infamous bad luck -- I was selected to give the first presentation in one of my masters-only classes. My first class and I get picked to give a 30 minute presentation 6 days later. Sweet. At least I've already picked my topic and made some headway tonight. Still, looks like I got what was coming to me.

On an unrelated note, this is one of the funniest things I've ever read: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293268,00.html

You may notice that that is a foxnews story. Yep, I'm a right-winger.

College Football kicks off in just 15 days. Some time in the next 10 days you will see Bob's college football preview. Why? Because it's my blog and I can, so step off.

Until we meet again...

The Song Remains The Same

Another school, another orientation.

More rah-rah bullshit than any normal person can stand. Listen, I've already chosen the school. Stop telling me how much fun I'm going to have, how good your school is, and how good looking the girls are. What's that? There wasn't anything said about how good the girls look? Hmm... that must have been my inner monologue...

For the past two days I've sat in an auditorium and heard all the same speeches while having information (that was probably important) go in one ear and out the other because I was too bored to pay attention. But hey, at least they pulled out all the stops -- we had turkey sandwiches for lunch yesterday, and pizza today. I must've hit the big time. It feels like I'm at a summer camp or something. Of course, all that begins to change tomorrow.

Classes start tomorrow. And that means work starts tomorrow. I still don't have even a single book, or for that matter my loan money with which to buy books. I did sign out 44,850 dollars today though. Sweet! As long as I don't live long enough to pay it back I've got it made in the shade. Unfortunately doctors have pretty long life expectancies. Short end of the stick again I guess.

Sunday morning I went to the beach and watched the sun rise on the ocean. It was pretty awesome. I was all by myself until a group of (I'm assuming) Southern Baptists came by to baptize a few people. That was pretty cool too. It made me realize I'd really like to have a house on the beach when I retire. Why am I thinking about retirement? That seems like its millions of miles away. I'm 22. I've got 9 years of total bullshi... ahem... education in front of me. Then I'll be 31 ,which also seems like its impossible at this point in my life. Me? In my 30s? Never happen... After residency I have 25-35 years of what will hopefully be meaningful and rewarding work before retirement. A house on the beach? That's a lifetime away.
Writing this made me think about Real Estate in general. Is there Fake Estate? What about Surreal Estate -- is that like Salvador Dali's house?

We're not in Kansas anymore...

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking why would you, you conservative values midwestern kid go to medical school on the East Coast? Furthermore, what's with this "you're not really a medical student thing." The answer is simple... okay... I lied, the answer is kind of complicated. Try and hold on.
I just graduated from Ohio State University. I've been pretty sure I wanted to go to medical school since I was 16. I'm not entirely sure why -- that's probably going to bite me in the ass when I interview. I know it has something to do with me knowing that people not in pain > people in pain, and people alive > people dead. Still, putting into words why I want to practice medicine isn't easy for me. In fact, I have a lot of trouble expressing most of my emotions, which is probably why I haven't had a date in 3 years. But I digress.
Anyway here I am at Ohio State, wanting to go to medical school. But my grades, while decent, were not exactly medical school quality. Furthermore, taking the last ever paper-and-pencil MCAT provided me with a 29 (the average MCAT score of MD students is somewhere around 30.5) despite scoring as high as a 32 on practice tests (yes, those 3 points make a big difference) ... darn you Kaplan and your overly simplistic verbal reasoning sections.
So I was kind of behind the eight ball when I applied to 6 MD schools and 2 DO schools for August 2007 matriculation. Now, if it weren't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all. So I got shot down at all 8 schools -- I didn't even get one lousy interview invite. So what was I to do. Well, the ever helpful, and ever annoying Student Doctor Network was able to provide some information on an underused resource: Special Master's Degree Programs. Here's the deal - you take most, usually not all, of the Med1 curriculum, get graded alongside the MD students, receive a master's degree after only one year, and then you re-apply. Success rates (matriculation rates) vary widely depending on the school. I chose this school because it had the highest success rate. But this came with something of a caveat: while upwards 0f 90% of the masters graduates from my school do get into MD programs the same year they graduate -- nearly all of them are getting in at this school. Since I cared much more about getting into an MD program than where it was, I didn't mind. I applied, was admitted and enrolled in only a few weeks.
I know as long as I work as hard as I should, I'll be part of the MD class of 2012. Still, being so far away from everyone I know isn't easy. Especially on days like today. I needed a haircut. I only knew of one barbershop in the nearby area (I'm sure there are several others... but as of now I don't know where they are). Anywho, I walk in -- and immediately notice that -- well... I am not like anyone else in the barbershop.
Now, don't get me wrong -- I'm all about diversity of people -- but this wasn't diversity. This was me -- and everyone else. I'm pretty sure I got some dirty looks and some snickers from some of the customers. Oh well. I tried to casually leave, saying that it looked liked they were busy and I'd be back later. One of the barbers told me I'd be next if I just waited 2 more minutes. So I stayed, and got my hair cut. It was still pretty awkward, but maybe now I have some idea of what other people go through on a daily basis.

Start Me Up

Press Conference du Bob.
At 5:45 p.m. today we received word that I'll be keeping a blog. I'm keeping it as much for myself as anyone else. I want to try to chronicle as much of my experience as I can.
I see there's a question...
Q. What experience?
A. Well in only 3 days I'll be starting medical school. Well, not really -- but more on that later. Please hold all remaining questions until the end.

My name is Bob, and I have just moved to an East Coast city somewhere in the mid-Atlantic region. I moved here from the midwest, where I have grown up all my life. I came here to go to my new school, and hopefully go forward on the path of doctordom.

Alright... questions? (Many hands go up)

Ok... any questions that don't have to do with why I look so goofy? (1/2 of all hands go down)

Any questions that don't have to do with why my blog isn't entertaining? (Remaining hands go down.)

Alright then.