Top 5's

[deschutes]

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Piano lessons were a source of considerable trauma for me (they just made me feel stupid) - to the point that when I did end them, I did not touch any instrument or listen to any classical music for years. I made it through most of the exams, but it wasn't something that I felt made enough of a change in my life to say, write about in my Path personal statement 😉

In the last couple of years though, I've been gingerly approaching the Beast again (cue vague Agatha Christie reference).

Plus plus plus, my research supervisor is president of a local chamber music society and very liberal with his tickets.
There is something about live chamber music - it is personal, and very different from a full orchestra.

Schubert's "Death and the Maiden" is a recent favourite. And Pachelbel's Canon in D I loved from the first time I heard it live.
(As you can see, I can't tell Opus/Numbers - nor remember singers/songtitles - to save my life.)

I like that story about the Gotterdammerung. I've always been a horrific sight-reader (six flats and five sharps, oh me oh my) so for my part it's not difficult to perceive Saint-Saen's genius.

 

[b&ierstiefel]

Piano lessons were a source of considerable trauma for me (they just made me feel stupid) - to the point that when I did end them, I did not touch any instrument or listen to any classical music for years. I made it through most of the exams, but it wasn't something that I felt made enough of a change in my life to say, write about in my Path personal statement 😉

In the last couple of years though, I've been gingerly approaching the Beast again (cue vague Agatha Christie reference).

Plus plus plus, my research supervisor is president of a local chamber music society and very liberal with his tickets.
There is something about live chamber music - it is personal, and very different from a full orchestra.

Schubert's "Death and the Maiden" is a recent favourite. And Pachelbel's Canon in D I loved from the first time I heard it live.
(As you can see, I can't tell Opus/Numbers - nor remember singers/songtitles - to save my life.)

I like that story about the Gotterdammerung. I've always been a horrific sight-reader (six flats and five sharps, oh me oh my) so for my part it's not difficult to perceive Saint-Saen's genius.

I have to admit, piano lessons from elementary school up to high school were painful in that I felt that I was forced to practice daily so that I could show my teacher (who is one of the nicest, most patient people I've known in my life) that I was making some improvement. However, in high school, she put me through solo and concerto competitions and hence I found the emphasis and motivation to practice to be quite shifted. Interestingly, this was around the time where I started to enjoy practicing for the love of playing the music instead of feeling forced to do it (mainly by my parents...see I'm Asian and when you combine Asian parents with playing instruments....enuff said).

Anyways, every week when I would have lessons, my teacher did make me feel stupid at times (of course this wasn't her intention). She was very positive but didn't hold back in terms of giving constructive criticism. One thing I have sucked at though, and will always suck at, is sight-reading. I hope pathology diagnostic skills and the sight-reading skills don't have any correlation with one another.

Those years are very distant from the present. I miss the piano...it sucks not owning one. And reserving practice rooms in the school of music is just a pain in the butt. I think when I buy a house (whenever that will be), my first purchase will be a concert grand piano. Of course, the plasma TV is also a must-buy 🙂

 

[quant]

(mainly by my parents...see I'm Asian and when you combine Asian parents with playing instruments....enuff said).

🙂

Hey Andy you are Asian?

I thought you were Greek!....

Regards
Quant

 

[b&ierstiefel]

Hey Andy you are Asian?

I thought you were Greek!....

Regards
Quant

You thought Andy Milonakis was my real name. Oh well. That's good considering that I go through some lengths to maintain some sense of anonymity in these forums.

Nope I'm Asian. It's all good man. Good job though for picking up that Milonakis is a Greek last name.

 

[yaah]

#1: I like Death and the Maiden. Schubert was one of the immortals when it came to chamber music. Alas, he died much too young.

#2: I also had piano lessons, my first teacher rode a harley to the house every week. I stopped lessons around about 7th grade, didn't resume until I relearned on my own in high school and started lessons again in college. Now, I do not have a piano and am doomed to become out of practice.

#3: Andy Milonakis is a stage name, ah yes. That poor little kid in those pictures. You could still be asian even if your name was milonakis. I knew a kid in the past who was full blooded asian and his name was like Brian O'Connor or something. That kind of threw people off.

#4: Violin concertos are also marvelous. I was listening to Bruch today in the car on the way home.
My favorite violin concertos:
1) Paganini (the first 4 - all completely magnificent).
2) Tchaikovsky's (only wrote 1 I believe but it's amazing)
3) Bruch's #1
4) Beethoven's only one.
5) Brahms (only one)
6) Sibelius

Dvorak also wrote a great one, and Samuel Barber. Wieniawski has some wonderful works as well.

 

[bente]

I'd like to request a top 5...from the classical music aficionados...
top 5 composer's medical ailments. My college buddy minored in music and loved this type of trivia. I predict syphilis, consumption, quinsy....

 

[bente]

1)Chris Boardman, former 1hr world recordholder-osteoporosis (quite common in cyclists)
2)Lance Armstrong, testicular cancer..what type?
3)Marco Pantani, '98 Tour de France winner, holds most climbing records. Polycythemia* and cocaine overdose *prob EPO
4)Tom Simpson, Brit who died in ?'68 Tour de France while climbing Mt.Ventoux, amphetamine overdose (and 1 bottle of wine, 3 shots of brandy that day...and recent gastroenteritis).
5)Mitochondrial myopathy** in USA rider, former 3 time Tour winner, Greg Lemond. (also rec'd a nice GSW from brother in law while hunting).

**anyone seen this?

 

[yaah]

I'd like to request a top 5...from the classical music aficionados...
top 5 composer's medical ailments. My college buddy minored in music and loved this type of trivia. I predict syphilis, consumption, quinsy....

I think actually strokes were more common than anything except syphilis...

They all had consumption/TB/white plague/pthisis/the WASTING AWAY.

They also all had syphilis/the french pox/the spanish pox/general paresis of the insane.

Schubert: dead at 29, syphilis
Beethoven: Possibly deaf due to syphilis (some say it was lead poisoning or typhoid). Probably died of cirrhosis and its attendant complications though.
Smetana had syphilis - took his hearing and balance.
Robert Schumann had a stroke (which left him unable to perform, so his wife Clara performed his music) AND syphilis.
Scott Joplin: syphilis
Donizetti: Syphilis
Rossini: Maybe syphilis

Chopin: consumption at 39. RIP Frederic.
Weber died of TB also.
Mozart probably had TB. Although many think he died from rheumatic fever.

Paganini had Marfan's syndrome, most likely, as did Rachmaninoff.

Ravel is an interesting case - had a stroke and neurodegenerative disease which made him unable to compose music.

Brahms is interesting too - he had sleep apnea (he was a large lad). Died of cancer though.
Mahler died of bacterial endocarditis.

Mendelssohn I can't figure out. He died in his 30's, of a stroke. Not sure if that could have been something else? Or was he a Berry Aneurysm family? His sister died young of a stroke too.


Weird ones: Alkan (pianist) died after being crushed by a falling bookcase.
Cesar Franck was hit by a bus.

The champion is Tchaikovsky though. Rumored to have killed himself. How? By purposely drinking contaminated water and contracting cholera. What a way to go.


Bach died of a stroke, he was in his 60s. All that time I guess, he needed to have like 12 kids.
Some others lived to be fairly old. Sibelius, Liszt, Wagner, Verdi (Verdi was almost 90 and his funeral was attended by thousands, all of whom spontaneously broke out into his "Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves" from Nabucco, which is written as a chorus for hundreds of people, as he was buried)

I guess what's sad is that I only had to look up a couple of these...


and Bente - Greg Lemond's case is kind of interesting. From what I remember, his condition prevents him from getting normal anesthesia - his muscles will react very badly. Not sure of the details but he has had a tough time. I suspect Armstrong's cancer was a seminoma because it was responsive to radiation and chemo.

 

[b&ierstiefel]

Greg Lemond's case is kind of interesting. From what I remember, his condition prevents him from getting normal anesthesia - his muscles will react very badly. Not sure of the details but he has had a tough time. I suspect Armstrong's cancer was a seminoma because it was responsive to radiation and chemo.

Greg Lemond - malignant hyperthermia? or some other weird rare thing related to his myopathy?

Armstrong - he did have seminoma. he is s/p nut removal.

 

[bente]

Armstrong - he did have seminoma. he is s/p nut removal.

He is 10 pounds lighter than his pre cancer weight. That is one big kahuna!

 

[b&ierstiefel]

#3: Andy Milonakis is a stage name, ah yes. That poor little kid in those pictures. You could still be asian even if your name was milonakis. I knew a kid in the past who was full blooded asian and his name was like Brian O'Connor or something. That kind of threw people off.

Actually according to some reports, Andy Milonakis is no kid. He's actually in his mid-20's and has some weird Gary Coleman type disease. His real age is still up for debate in my mind.

Brian O'Connor = full blooded asian? For real? Hmm...maybe he change name cuz kid make fun of him in school.

While we're on the topic, I sometimes see Indian people whos names are like George Thomas or Apu George. And they're full blooded Indians too. I don't know how this came about...perhaps someone can explain this to me. Quant, wanna help me out on this one?

 

[quant]

In terms of diversity, i think India has the most heterogenous population in the world.The are roughly 543 diferent kinds of dialects spoken in the country though there are only 16 officially recognised languages. Roughly 2.3 % population is christian and the predominant faith is Roman Catholic. There also are Protestants, Syrian catholics and so on. One of the 12 Apostles of christ, St Thomas is believed to have landed in in India in a state called Kerala in 52 AD. This state Kerala has one of the highest numbers of people of christian faith and thus the names of George Thomas,Matthew and so on.There are also people whose surnames go by D'Souza and so on who are predominantly around Bombay, due to the portuguese influence....Jacob is common first name.One of my batchmates' name in medical college was "Elvis Peter". Great guy. Being the creative nuts that Med students are, it dint take much long to rename him "Pelvis Eater".....
Anyways, hope that clears a few things....
Regards
Quant

 

[b&ierstiefel]

In terms of diversity, i think India has the most heterogenous population in the world.The are roughly 543 diferent kinds of dialects spoken in the country though there are only 16 officially recognised languages. Roughly 2.3 % population is christian and the predominant faith is Roman Catholic. There also are Protestants, Syrian catholics and so on. One of the 12 Apostles of christ, St Thomas is believed to have landed in in India in a state called Kerala in 52 AD. This state Kerala has one of the highest numbers of people of christian faith and thus the names of George Thomas,Matthew and so on.There are also people whose surnames go by D'Souza and so on who are predominantly around Bombay, due to the portuguese influence....Jacob is common first name.One of my batchmates' name in medical college was "Elvis Peter". Great guy. Being the creative nuts that Med students are, it dint take much long to rename him "Pelvis Eater".....
Anyways, hope that clears a few things....
Regards
Quant

Thanks bud...that whole bit about Pelvis Eater is too funny.

I had a friend in high school named Walter Faulk. If you said it really fast, it sounded like wutthefuk.

 

[deschutes]

Cannot resist jumping in with this one...

Back in primary school there were these two unfortunate guys whose names were on the roll-call in the following order:

Yew Ken Fatt
Soh Keng Ai

The teacher would take attendance and the class would collapse.

~
India may be the most heterogenous population in the world. But let's not forget Malaysia 🙂

We have Elizabeth George (who is Indian-Christian) and Apu Murugiah (who is Indian-?Hindu).
We have Malik Abdul Salim (who is Malay-Muslim) and Rehman Rashid (who is Indian-Muslim).
We have Adele Lim (who is Chinese ?Christian) and Looi Lai Meng (who is Chinese, but I don't know her religious affiliation, if any).

These people all speak at least 2 languages and probably a variety of dialects.

And that's not counting the intermarriages 😀

To my understanding, Indian names follow the format [child's name] son/daughter of [father's name]. So it is entirely possible that the son of George Thomas would be Apu George.
(quant can correct me here!)

Last but not least - Andy, if you're Asian and your parents made you play the piano, it sounds classically Chinese to me! And if you complained about being forced to do it but was told that you were the one who said (when you were all of 4 years old) that you wanted to play the piano, then you would be me posting under another name.

 

[quant]

Deschutes
You are correct about the names. Father s first name becomes the sons last name and that is pretty much true for indian christians.But not so for Indian Hindus. My name carries my ancestral surname which as been there for god knows how many years.....i wouldnt be surprised if the family surname ran up in excess of a 1000 years.Of course there are no records to prove this though. Malaysia also has a very heterogenous population and i assume that is pretty much true for the whole of south east asia. But in terms of linguistic dialects,Nothing to beat India. I mean i have travelled 100 miles away from my place and i encounter a completely new dialect of which i can t make head or tail of!
Thanks to British, most speak either English (In south) or Hindi (In North) which makes one retain some kind of sanity!

Regards
Quant

 

[b&ierstiefel]

Last but not least - Andy, if you're Asian and your parents made you play the piano, it sounds classically Chinese to me! And if you complained about being forced to do it but was told that you were the one who said (when you were all of 4 years old) that you wanted to play the piano, then you would be me posting under another name.

Well, it was my idea at the beginning to take piano lessons. I just didn't appreciate all the hard work and practicing it would require (which is where the whole Asian parents forcing boy to study comes into play). In retrospect, I believe that deciding to undertake piano study at a young age is synonymous to deciding to do medicine as a high school student.

Interestingly, Michigan USED to have a program called Inteflex. It was for motivated students to be accepted to med school right out of high school. Hence the accepted student would undertake joint BA/MD study.

My issue is this: you have so many premeds who go through college thinking, I wanna be a doctor; I need to go to medical school. However, many of them really don't truly know what they're getting themselves into (i.e., all the BS, all the paperwork, troublesome patients which make your day less pleasant, the "dark side of medicine", etc.). Their view of medicine is so idealistic...and based on very little experience.

Fortunately, some of these folks come to grow to enjoy what they do. And I apply this analogy to myself in respect to piano study. I started to really enjoy practicing and making music during the last few years of high school. But until then, it was just a forced habit, something I did with my time, something I couldn't wait to finish daily so that I could finally play ball outside.
But when I went off to college, disciplined practicing gave way to partying and damaging my liver...that is another story. 🙂

End rambling...hope everyone had a good day 🙂

 

[quant]

Andy
I was under the assumption that it is only in asian countries that people decide which course to pursue at a very young age.....i findit quite surprising that it is the same case here too in USA. In my case, the way the system worked in my state, i had to make a decision of what to do at the age of 15!!!!! To be a doctor, or an engineer or social sciences. Once the decision was made there never was looking back! I wanted to be a doctor from early on but was too naive to know the amount of sacrifice which went into it. My mother did advise me regarding the hard work....but i was 15!!!!....as usual, good advice is NEVER taken as a rule and once i jumped into it, there was never any looking back. The competition in India is quite fierce and i look back now at the sacrifices i made with wistfulness......was it really worth it?.....

I mean, once i made the decision to become a doctor, rest all that followed was one form of compromise or the other to fit into being a *doctor*. I never had a choice to follow and do what i liked.....it is only after nearly 10 years at the age of 25 that i became stubborn enough to do what I WANTED.....but then im the only guy in my batch of 130 doing a PhD....rest all compromised and became a specialist of one kind or another....and i can say with confidence that 95 % of them are unhappy.....one way or another....

Serving mankind as being the ultimate sacrifice is the usual BS my parents used to dole out to me when i was sad and cribbed about my choice (with the addendum that it was MY idea to do medicine in the first place...I guess all asian parents are the same!!!!!. )

But i agree with you andy when you say that people often blindly follow into medicine without a clue as to the sacrifice it entails....

But one thing i find surprising is the blind way in which one makes compromises after joining medicine to keep up with the charade of being a *proper* doctor even if their heart is not in it.....but then i guess the issues at stake go beyond just interest......it is advancing age,money involved for the studies and a whole lot of other things....

I really admired a person about whom i was reading recently....she was a med grad and did her residency in neurosurgery at the end of it she just quit and started doing what she wanted to do all along......setting up a restaurant!!!!!! i mean that took really guts...real guts...... not surprisingly, she is of taiwanese descent, whose parents settled down here in states and pushed her all along to be a doctor....

sigh....i guess we learn from our mistakes....sometimes i feel so helpless at controlling life s events which makes me wonder if it is really worth struggling to try and change your destiny....

That brings my rambling to a conclusion for today.....

regards
Quant

 

[yaah]

The 7 year combined college/med school track has been tried at several US institutions (Michigan, Brown, BU) and from what I have heard, has had fairly disappointing results. A lot of the people who join the 7 year program find out fairly early on (or someone else finds out) that they are not completely suited for a career in medicine. So I think that a lot of the places that have these programs are attempting (or have already done so) to phase them out.

I agree, I think it is too young to ask a high schooler (at least, an american one, I can't speak for other countries) to decide on their career when said career is such a huge undertaking and requires such a committment. College is a time to explore new things and find out about yourself. There were lots of people I met in college who were convinced they were meant to be doctors and ended up not even coming close, whether it was because they found out the didn't like it or they found out they couldn't cut it.

 

[b&ierstiefel]

The 7 year combined college/med school track has been tried at several US institutions (Michigan, Brown, BU) and from what I have heard, has had fairly disappointing results. A lot of the people who join the 7 year program find out fairly early on (or someone else finds out) that they are not completely suited for a career in medicine. So I think that a lot of the places that have these programs are attempting (or have already done so) to phase them out.

I believe that these programs came about in a time where medicine was hurting for people to join the profession (i.e., unlike now, a time where the number of spots in medical schools exceeded the number of applicants...yeah I know what you're thinking...who would've thunk it!). During the past decade or two, we have witnessed a steady climb in the number of applicants who are seeking admission to medical school. And I believe that, in addition to the scenario you lay out yaah, another reason why these programs are being phased out is that medicine isn't hurtin for ppl to "enlist."

Not only do you see people changing their minds during premed years, you even see this in MD/PhD programs as well. In the class one year above mine, more than half of the people dropped out of the combined degree program at one point or another. Some felt research was not for them. Some wanted a free ride during the first 2 years of medical school (like many other institutions, our school does not require a dropout to pay back the tuition and stipend support received). This is interesting considering that quite a lot of effort goes into accepting people into MD/PhD programs. And most people I talk to who are in these programs decided to join them after careful thought and experience.

I agree, I think it is too young to ask a high schooler (at least, an american one, I can't speak for other countries) to decide on their career when said career is such a huge undertaking and requires such a committment. College is a time to explore new things and find out about yourself. There were lots of people I met in college who were convinced they were meant to be doctors and ended up not even coming close, whether it was because they found out the didn't like it or they found out they couldn't cut it.

Word.

College is truly a time to explore new things and to be exposed to things one would never be exposed to otherwise. For example, kickass frat parties and kegstands involving Natty light, meeting people from all different backgrounds (at these parties...standing as one, united, and drunk as hell), raising one's alcohol tolerance (since I'm Asian, I used to get drunk after about 2-3 drinks at the first few rush parties...then by senior year I could tolerate ..... ), taking interesting but difficult courses in totally different fields of learning (pass/fail), learning practical things like paying bills (and realizing that paying bills suck), etc.

 

[b&ierstiefel]

and i can say with confidence that 95 % of them are unhappy.....one way or another....

Of course they are quant! Clinical medicine sucks...period.

Serving mankind as being the ultimate sacrifice is the usual BS my parents used to dole out to me when i was sad and cribbed about my choice.

Usually when people say, during med school interviews, that they entered medicine because they wanted to serve...blah blah blah. I entered medicine because I wanted to learn some cool stuff; I wanted to really get a grasp of the science behind medicine (the whole concept of the art of medicine...that's another rant for another time). I think pathology really affords me that thrill. I thought of dropping out of medical school many times, I must admit. However, when you have an MD, you can apply for more grants, build big frickin lasers. Helping people was a secondary motive and was never my predominating motive for wanting to go to medical school. I always thought it was nice though, in the back of my mind, that I could use my skills and whatever talents I have to help people (i.e. through diagnosis and research).

But one thing i find surprising is the blind way in which one makes compromises after joining medicine to keep up with the charade of being a *proper* doctor even if their heart is not in it.....but then i guess the issues at stake go beyond just interest......it is advancing age,money involved for the studies and a whole lot of other things....

Thank you for saying that. This whole concept and image of "proper doctor" really made me deluded into thinking that internal medicine was my field of choice for the LONGEST time (from the start of my PhD training to mid-M3 year). But my heart told me that i don't like clinical medicine and i much more prefer pathology.

I really admired a person about whom i was reading recently....she was a med grad and did her residency in neurosurgery at the end of it she just quit and started doing what she wanted to do all along......setting up a restaurant!!!!!! i mean that took really guts...real guts...... not surprisingly, she is of taiwanese descent, whose parents settled down here in states and pushed her all along to be a doctor....

You know, one of the post-docs in the lab I did my thesis work in wants to just quit what he's doing and become a chef. Another grad student in the lab who just got his PhD likes cooking too. And lemme tell ya, they are both phenomenal chefs. If they ended up going through with it and succeeding, they could say, "Follow your dreams, you can reach your goals. I'm living proof...beefcake...BEEFCAKE!"

sigh....i guess we learn from our mistakes....sometimes i feel so helpless at controlling life s events which makes me wonder if it is really worth struggling to try and change your destiny....

Well, my PhD adviser gave me another great piece of advice..."life's not fair, deal with it."

 

[deschutes]

I really doubt that anyone (be they 18 or 80) can really know what medicine is like, until they are in it - such is the nature of the beast.

Doctors themselves are works in progress.

I entered med school right after high school, and like most others had only vague notions of what I was getting into at the time. Interestingly enough, my mother actually felt that with my "personality" I would do well in medicine - whatever that meant. (I was generally regarded as an introverted kid.)

This whole "I like to help people" thing - I strenuously denied at my med school interview that I had been inspired by some noble doctor who had cured some close family member. (Post-interview I thought I had been booted off the list for sure.)

At any rate, with her God-given intuition my mother was right - and I thank my lucky stars every day that I've grown to enjoy what I do.

Asian parents are pragmatic: "Get a job, support yourself - and after that you can do whatever you like, study whatever you want." (This was in response to me expressing an interest in studying psychology/astronomy.)

Where I come from, the algorithm of duty is: Go to university, get a degree (one of the Big 5: engineering/dentistry/accountancy/law/medicine), go job-hunting with degree in hand.

[The problem is, there are many who don't realize the principle behind the algorithm i.e. your parents want to know that they have given you the tools to support yourself for the rest of your life. After that, it's all up to you.]

Squares come off the factory production line with said job and have to face for the first time the question, "This is it?"

Barely into their third decade of life, they realize that:
(1) they have 30-odd years of working life still ahead of them, and
(2) they are bored.

It must be terrifying.

 

[cookypuss3]

I really admired a person about whom i was reading recently....she was a med grad and did her residency in neurosurgery at the end of it she just quit and started doing what she wanted to do all along......setting up a restaurant!!!!!! i mean that took really guts...real guts...... not surprisingly, she is of taiwanese descent, whose parents settled down here in states and pushed her all along to be a doctor....

Oh dear God, there is hope for me after all.

Interestingly, I'm as white as they come, but my mother climbed up my ass so hard my entire life to go to medical school that it was almost easier to go to get her to shut up. Now, of course, facing graduation in June, I could think of a half-dozen careers I would have MUCH rather gone into, and I no longer speak to my mother.

 

[Brian Pavlovitz]

Oh dear God, there is hope for me after all.

Interestingly, I'm as white as they come, but my mother climbed up my ass so hard my entire life to go to medical school that it was almost easier to go to get her to shut up. Now, of course, facing graduation in June, I could think of a half-dozen careers I would have MUCH rather gone into, and I no longer speak to my mother.

We're glad to have you, cookypuss!

 

[quant]

I agree with Brian ......we are all glad to have you here....

 

[b&ierstiefel]

I agree with Brian ......we are all glad to have you here....

Word.

 

[deschutes]

College is truly a time to explore new things and to be exposed to things one would never be exposed to otherwise. For example, kickass frat parties and kegstands involving Natty light, meeting people from all different backgrounds (at these parties...standing as one, united, and drunk as hell), raising one's alcohol tolerance (since I'm Asian, I used to get drunk after about 2-3 drinks at the first few rush parties...then by senior year I could tolerate ..... ), taking interesting but difficult courses in totally different fields of learning (pass/fail), learning practical things like paying bills (and realizing that paying bills suck), etc.

I rather miss not having done undergrad. First-time med school was as close as it came - people were young, single and willing to do stupid things like decide on impulse to climb up the tallest mountain in Southeast-Asia sans training, or drive across the country debating whether the fifth meal of the day would be Tom Yam Goong or Haagen Daz.

Bills! Haha!
The ultimate paradox must be to dress well and project the image of the upper-middle-class healthcare professional that you are supposed to be, when heaven knows you're surviving on $500/month.

I like to quote Health Canada. They define poverty as spending >50% of your income on food and a roof over your head.

If I could find laundry and kitchen facilities in the hospital plus a place to dump my worldly possessions, I'd stay there. Heck, Security has been threatening to charge me rent from the time I was in 2nd year.

 

[quant]

. "However, when you have an MD, you can apply for more grants, build big frickin lasers. "




Lasers ???...do you work with lasers Andy?

 

[b&ierstiefel]

. "However, when you have an MD, you can apply for more grants, build big frickin lasers. "




Lasers ???...do you work with lasers Andy?

Yes I have a big laser in my secret lair. Inside the lair exist a swimming pool full of sharks with lasers attached to their heads.

No the only laser I work with is the laser attached to the confocal microscope. The laser thing was a reference to Austin Powers.

 

[quant]

Yes I have a big laser in my secret lair. Inside the lair exist a swimming pool full of sharks with lasers attached to their heads.

.

You DO have an imagination!!!! sharks with lasers attached to their headss???????????????.....

i was curious since i work with them.....

 

[yaah]

I take it you haven't seen the Austin Powers movies, Quant? Andy is channeling Dr Evil here. Dr Evil desired evil sharks with laser beams on their heads (because every creature deserves a hot meal) but instead his henchmen got him ill tempered mutated sea bass.

 

[quant]

I did see Austin Powers(1,2) ......it is the only movie in my life which i walked from the theater midway through, but on a second look it wasnt bad......but i dont remember the shark part though!

 

[b&ierstiefel]

I did see Austin Powers(1,2) ......it is the only movie in my life which i walked from the theater midway through, but on a second look it wasnt bad......but i dont remember the shark part though!

You didn't like Austin Powers? Oh well...I guess that experience of yours kinda mirrors my Pulp Fiction experience. I was a freshman in college when that movie came out and the first time I saw it (it was shown on the quad on campus), I absolutely didn't understand it and disliked it. However, I had to watch it 2 or 3 more times to fully appreciate it. And now I think it's a brilliant movie and believe it or not, I actually own it too.

You need to see it again. And this time, pay attention to the sharks! 🙂

 

[Primate]

OK people, pony up.

Top 5 best and worst moments of both conventions?

(he asked and then faded back into the shadows to watch the commotion)

😀

High theatre.

P

Mine:
1) When Captain Kirk found Mr. Spock and...... Oh, wait, wrong convention.

 

[deschutes]

Top 5 best and worst moments of both conventions?

Someone please explain to the token ignoramus (me) what he is talking about?

 

[b&ierstiefel]

Someone please explain to the token ignoramus (me) what he is talking about?

Top 5 *****ic statements made by deschutes:

...


🙂

 

[yaah]

OK people, pony up.

Top 5 best and worst moments of both conventions?

Actually, I watched about 5 minutes total of the RNC. I just had too many other things vying for my attention this week. Monday I probably would have watched, but my cable was out. Tuesday I saw some of it but really don't want to hear from the candidate's wife, to be honest with you. And Ah-nold apparently gave a good speech but that was too late for me. I saw some of Zell Miller's speech. He's a loony. Saw some of Dick Cheney - I liked his joke about him being picked because of his looks. Meant to watch the prez but I went to bed before he came on the air.

The top 5 moments in the DNC all had to do with the balloons failing to come down as the director wanted.

Top 5 moments I wish I could have seen happen:
#5) Nancy Reagan shows up at the DNC to drag her son kicking and screaming off the stage. What are you doing here? Come here.
#4) Edwards joins Kerry on stage after his speech. They gaze longingly at each other...
#3) During the "roll call of states" one of the states could have cast all their votes for Chewbacca or Boba Fett. The great state of South Dakota...home of Wall Drug, the badlands, Mt Rushmore...proudly throw our support and all of our delegates behind the next president of the United States, Chewbacca!
#2) As soon as John Kerry got on stage and was introduced, the arena goes dark...pyrotechnics are lit off...That old song "Doctor Doctor" (announcer yells, "OH MY GOD! THAT'S DEAN'S MUSIC") starts playing...and Howard Dean busts out of the backstage with a metal chair and beats Kerry senseless then gloats for the crowd. I think the WWF should apply more to regular life as well.
and #1) They actually had anything newsworthy happen.

 

[Primate]

Doing my sub-I now, and we admit every other day. Not alot of time to watch prime-time comedy programming, errrr, the conventions.

Personally, I was waiting to see Miller's head actually explode. Came damn close, I think.

Gotta run, I think someone is pooping, so I need to chart the amount, texture, quality of odor, etc.

P

 

[yaah]

Top 5 most annoying people at airports:

5) Technologically ignorant person who can't figure out how to work the e-ticket. Also usually doubles as person who is demanding and rude and insists they be taken care of first because their flight is about to leave and they absolutely couldn't get to the airport any sooner, even though they were probably either oversleeping or stopping to buy porno.
4) The person who absolutely HAS to get on the plane as soon as boarding begins (and before their row is called) and holds up the line because they get on the plane, are sitting in row 5, and stand in the aisle putting their **** together while everyone waits behind them and the plane is delayed leaving. This person usually doubles as #3 below.
3) The person who utterly flaunts the "one carry-on plus one personal item" rule by bringing on a rolling bag PLUS a garment bag PLUS a computer PLUS a big jacket over their arm PLUS a small bag with their cell phone and wallet. And then gets upset when he/she is told to check one of them.
2) Smelly no-deodorant wearing man or smelly, "I'm too cool to bathe" young man.
1) The guy who leans the seat back in front of me. Because it's so much more comfortable. Because I'm tall, you see? And before you comment - I have NEVER reclined my seat if someone is behind me. I refuse to do it if I don't like it when people do it to me. Even on international flights. It really doesn't make a bit of difference anyway.

 

[b&ierstiefel]

Top 5 most annoying people at airports:
2) Smelly no-deodorant wearing man or smelly, "I'm too cool to bathe" young man.

It's actually worse when you're in the middle seat...and to your left is the mother of Kong, and to your right is the wife of Kong...and they both smell...and it's a 4 hour flight. Now in the day and age where you can now pick seats when reserving flights, I vow this will not happen again.

 

[RyMcQ]

Top 5 most annoying people at airports:

1) The guy who leans the seat back in front of me. Because it's so much more comfortable. Because I'm tall, you see? And before you comment - I have NEVER reclined my seat if someone is behind me. I refuse to do it if I don't like it when people do it to me. Even on international flights. It really doesn't make a bit of difference anyway.

I admire your lack of hypocrisy on the subject, but I must chime in...

The seats are extremely uncomfortable until I lean the seat back. I get a bad ache in my lower back. I think it is due to the fact that my massive shoulders and biceps make me relatively top heavy. 🙂

You must hate flying because most people are pissing you off and don't even know it. Good luck on your quixotic effort to fix this problem.

 

[Primate]

Top 5 things I loved about my Sub-I:

1) It's over.

2) Managed to minimize the whole O/N call thing (without shirking - the hospital was actually Q 12 o/n!!!!).

3) No rectals/IV placements/disempactions/blood cx draws.... (again, without the slightest shirkiness - talk about a white cloud)

4) It's over.

5) The attendings, residents and interns were actually happy. Honest. For all that's written about it (in the negative), I actually had fun. Of course, #s 1 and 4 above are still just as true, I simply suffered less than I thought I would.

Just don't tell anyone. 😀

 

[b&ierstiefel]

Top 5 things I loved about my Sub-I:

1) It's over.

Congrats on finishing your subI. Is that it? Or do you have another one lined up? Hang your stethoscope and your short white coat up...finish line!

 

[yaah]

You must hate flying because most people are pissing you off and don't even know it. Good luck on your quixotic effort to fix this problem.

It is often difficult for them to lean the seat back because I jam my knees up against it. They push the button and lean, and very little movement happens. It's very amusing to me. Sometimes I am beaten though by someone who sneaks the seat back quickly before I notice. Usually I can tell by what the person looks like if they are a recliner or not though.

The seats are uncomfortable whether you lean the seat back or not. It makes no difference. Leaning the seat back has never made my back feel better. I believe you are experiencing a placebo effect. Or perhaps not, I don't know. I don't have a scientific study to back me up. But I do know that leaning the seat back does nothing to the cushion I sit on. It only leans back the back of the seat, and based on the mechanics of angles, etc, the head goes back but the butt doesn't really move. Hence, no more room for the legs.

I mostly blame the airlines though for cramming so many seats in. I don't really blame the people who want to lean their seat back, I just dislike them for doing it.

Massive shoulders and biceps? You sound like a pathologist!

 

[b&ierstiefel]

Top 5 ethnic foods in the Book of Andy:
(1) Indian - those vindaloo dishes, tasty going in, painful coming out (tenesmus anyone?)...but oh oh so good.
(2) Japanese - it's all about the sushi (and the wasabi) baby!
(3) Italian - we're not talking Domino's pizza here.
(4) Thai food
(5) Mexican food - the real stuff, not Taco Bell (or Toxic Hell). Would you like some taco kisses?

 

[RyMcQ]

But I do know that leaning the seat back does nothing to the cushion I sit on. It only leans back the back of the seat, and based on the mechanics of angles, etc, the head goes back but the butt doesn't really move. Hence, no more room for the legs.

I don't lean the seat back to get more room for my legs. It actually sometimes causes me to slip forward some, taking away from my leg room.

The issue for me is that my back muscles can't relax if I am sitting completely upright. But if my legs were jammed uncomfortably into the seat in front of me, I guess I might not notice the pain in my back. Maybe that's the solution!!!

 

[Primate]

Congrats on finishing your subI. Is that it? Or do you have another one lined up? Hang your stethoscope and your short white coat up...finish line!

In perhaps one of the most painful circumstances on the long road to mudfuddery, I'm back on a core rotation (psych) and not exactly loving it. Psych itself is OK, but going back to the core student mentality/treatment has been a surprisingly difficult transition - from having and managing your own patients to "getting the numbers" before rounds and being a good doobie and making it to morning report on time as your "gold star" moment. It's a good thing I didn't realize how much core rotations bite when I was doing them (I had fun on most of 'em - 'course, most weren't this bad). It also points out how attending/service dependent the whole process is (don't let me get started on the inconsistencies of medical education). Thank gawd I have a good resident who tries to mitigate the pain!

Looking forward to getting back to electives (of which I have only 3 left after this month and a half!). A little CP, maybe an NP month. A touch of sports med, or perhaps a sampling of radiology's fine offerings. mmmmmmmmmmm 😉

P

 

[Primate]

Primate- how's this for top 5s:

Top Five Rivers to Fish in Montana:
1) Beaverhead
2) Bighole
3) Blackfoot
4) Madison
5) Bighorn

That is, when there is enough water that dust doesn't collect on your fly (bit of a drought in the Big Sky state).

Just saw this again. Reminds me, last time we were there we fished for a week (and then hiked Glacier for a week) and caught NOTHING. Not one lousy perch. The water was so low that no one could remember catching a fish that season (Sept. 15-30, 2001) - not with flies, worms, power-bait or hand grenades. Still beat the he!! out of W. Philly. 😀

 

[b&ierstiefel]

In perhaps one of the most painful circumstances on the long road to mudfuddery, I'm back on a core rotation (psych) and not exactly loving it. Psych itself is OK, but going back to the core student mentality/treatment has been a surprisingly difficult transition - from having and managing your own patients to "getting the numbers" before rounds and being a good doobie and making it to morning report on time as your "gold star" moment. It's a good thing I didn't realize how much core rotations bite when I was doing them (I had fun on most of 'em - 'course, most weren't this bad). It also points out how attending/service dependent the whole process is (don't let me get started on the inconsistencies of medical education). Thank gawd I have a good resident who tries to mitigate the pain!

Looking forward to getting back to electives (of which I have only 3 left after this month and a half!). A little CP, maybe an NP month. A touch of sports med, or perhaps a sampling of radiology's fine offerings. mmmmmmmmmmm 😉

P

Yo Primate...is your 4th year a whole year? When do you finish med school? Seriously, if you have to put up with med school until Match Day or afterwards as a mudphud, that seriously blows.

Here, if we wanna do more electives, we have to pay tuition. Screw that. Let's see...option #1 = pay tuition to do more schooling; option #2 = spend that money to do fun stuff...I'd take option #2 anyday. Personally, my money is gonna be spent on organizing my best friend's bachelor party in 2 weeks and gambling that money away in Atlantic City.

 

[Primate]

Yo Primate...is your 4th year a whole year? When do you finish med school? Seriously, if you have to put up with med school until Match Day or afterwards as a mudphud, that seriously blows.

Here, if we wanna do more electives, we have to pay tuition. Screw that. Let's see...option #1 = pay tuition to do more schooling; option #2 = spend that money to do fun stuff...I'd take option #2 anyday. Personally, my money is gonna be spent on organizing my best friend's bachelor party in 2 weeks and gambling that money away in Atlantic City.

Due to the timing of my return to clinics, and having taking the summer semi-off (wrote a review article and had our third kid - not exactly off, but not in clinic either), I have 4 months, two weeks, 1 and 9/10th days left (not that I'm counting). After this core, the rest is elective.

At Penn, we can take as many clinical courses as we like - the MSTP covers the whole year and doesn't care what you do as long as you meet your clinical requirements and are doing something "academic." Typically, people finish their required's about now and then interview, followed by a quick return to lab for a few months.

Off to rounds.

P

 

[b&ierstiefel]

Typically, people finish their required's about now and then interview, followed by a quick return to lab for a few months.

Gotcha...that's pretty much what we do. It seems that's what a lot of MSTP's do. I mean we're talkin' post-doc salary here; that's a pay raise baby!