This made my day...

396948: Today, I was driving down the street when I saw a turtle crossing the street, so I stopped and waited for it to cross. A person going the other way stopped too, then proceded to get out of the car and cheer on the turtle until it got to the other side. This made my summer. MLIA

What's school without caffeine?

Last week during a break between parts 1 and 2 of anatomy lecture, I headed off to the Medical Alumni Association office to get myself some tea. The MAA office lies one floor down from the MS1 lecture hall, but unfortunately, the escalator was broken, fenced off while they were doing repairs (I assume). So being impatient and not wanting to wait for the elevator, I proceeded to run down the up escalator, which was indeed on and going full speed. I made quite a racket as I flew down the escalator in my flip-flops, nearly losing my balance in the process. But I remained upright! And when I got to the MAA, there were a couple people starting to file in. One classmate, Dev, was nearly finished making his hot cocoa/tea/coffee, and some people just arriving commented, "Wow, you got here fast!" Dev responded, "Yeah. When I come, I come fast."

There was a bit of awkward silence, followed by uncontrolled laughter from everyone present. Classic.

Adventures in Anatomy Lab

Dr. Schumann: So this down here is the azygos vein...

Rohan: Wow, that's huge! I didn't expect it to be so big!

me: *snicker* that's what she said...

Rohan: *rolls eyes*

--continued at the next table--

Angela: Really? Can I see your azygos vein?

Mike: *busts out laughing*

This is the future of medicine, people. Be scared. Be very very scared. :)

Med School Orientation

Packing up and moving 3000 or so miles across the country is at the same time exciting and immensely tiring. After a few days of driving back and forth between Ikea, my apartment, OfficeMax, Mattress World, Ikea, Walmart, my parents' hotel, my apartment, Ikea, etc., we finally got settled in my new home with all the stuff I need. Well, that this is now "home" is a strange idea that I'm still getting used to, and I actually forgot a lot of the stuff I need. For example, today was the first day of orientation where lunch was not included. Originally I intended on packing a sandwich for lunch (either peanut butter and jelly or ham and cheese, which I bought the previous day at Giant Eagle, the local supermarket chain that is indeed very giant, but unfortunately lacks any eagles), but I then realized that I had no sandwich bags or tupperware to pack it in, so I just ate the sandwich instead. Yum.

Today's orientation session was relatively pointless. The topic was about sexual orientation, and how we as future healthcare providers need to be aware of the increasingly diverse gender identities of the patient population. One interesting figure that the speaker pointed out was the statistic CNN.com gave for percentage of the American adolescent population that identifies as LGBT: 1-21%. I can only imagine how large the error bars on that graph are...

And, the clicker questions that were asked today following our guest speaker were a bit pointless and poorly worded. After a session in which the speaker described gender not as a simple distinction between male/female but rather as a broad spectrum spanning the two extremes, the questions seemed intent on portraying LGBT issues as black/white issues. For example: Sexual preference is biologically determined (yes, no, unsure); Sexual preference is a conscious decision (yes, no, unsure); and Sexual preference is influenced by society (yes, no, unsure). Seriously? That is relevant to the discussion of how sexual orientation and gender issues will affect our becoming good clinicians?

There was one gem in the midst of the questions though: What percentage of men who have sex with me tell their medical provider about their sexual preferences? That made me laugh.

Oh, and of course there was discussion of the inequality with which LGBT individuals are treated by society. For example, in Pennsylvania, it is perfectly legal to put up signs that say "Cashier wanted. Gays need not apply," or to discriminate in housing (not allowing gay couples to lease a 1 BR apartment). There was also a bit of allusion to the issue of marriage. The speaker told a story that reminded me of an article I saw in the NYTimes about how a person was kept from a dying partner's bedside because they was not legally married. I also felt slightly ashamed to be from a state that voted down gay rights. Oh well.

Significant figures...

Mapquest does not understand the concept.

Dude, you're my hero...

McMackin called out the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for doing a "little faggot dance." Best. Line. Ever. Who cares that he's suspended without pay for 30 days and is getting fined by the conference. He called it like it is, and he should be applauded for that. I don't support these attempts to make everything all warm-and-fuzzy and pastel pink and purple. Football is about talking smack -- it should not be PC.

Oh well.