Saturday, January 29, 2011

"click click click..."

-my heater that wakes me up at 4:30 every morning.

yesterday was so inspiring!
i shadowed my first operation. it was a BRAIN operation! the patient had an aneurysm that i watched the neurosurgeon clip. it lasted about 3 hours, and it was so cool with a non-scrubbed resident explaining everything to me. he went through the sylvian fissure and clipped the artery right at the anterior communicating artery of the circle of wilis :) then i went to the smith lunch, catered by jewel of india. it was so delicious. then a few of us went to molly's to meet adam, lily's fiance!! afterward i chilled out before going to heart rounds and ate pumpernickle bread smothered with seafood spread and loaded with peppers, broccoli and tomatoes, as i surrounded the food table by the corner with lauren, nick, dan and joe. liza made such good chocolate covered peanut butter ball things. and chelsea made delicious chocolate doused coconut macaroons.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

"we ride together, we die together,

bad boys for life."

on another note, i saw a former biochem professor today.

he is quite a lovely man. i told him that i missed his class because metabolism just isn't the same. haha we always take for granted what we have that could be better. but we forget that things can always get worse. and with age, i'm starting to think that it will (especially learning about the eye today).

so live in the here, live in the moment. take the time to appreciate the people you're with and notice that they have grace in their actions. appreciate that you have the ability to bond over the little things. i'm starting to realize we're at the age where we only have so much emotional energy to spend on friends; if it isn't working - it's not worth the stress to make it work if it's easier with other people.

Monday, January 17, 2011

smil og nik (smile and nod in Danish)

Sometimes I take things too personally. If a certain stoic professor walks by with a polite smile and no other sign of familiarity, I can't help but think she dislikes me. Although I think Quynh, Dan, and Bijan may agree with me with this particular woman.

At least when strangers walk by and smile at me, I can't help but smile back.

Working with another person on a research proposal has been hard because it is in Uganda. I know what my interests are but I don't know what I am capable of completing in six weeks. If I am with Savita (and I think Meera should consider skipping out on NYC to come with us), I know the experience will be fine regardless of what we do. I like independence when I know what I am doing. But now I don't, I have never done this before. Thank goodness the third year I have been talking to called me today and told me I don't need to know every detail, just an idea that will adapt to the circumstances when I get there.

During On Doc, I finally got picked out of my slump. My preceptor is INSPIRING, just because she is kind and cares about everyone. It is so obvious. She lets me do with what I am most comfortable and allows me to push myself without applying pressure. I don't need to impress her because I know she will support me so that indirectly makes me internally motivated to impress her (does that make sense?). At home, Robert made a delicious meal of herb roasted potatoes and pork stuffed with feta and roasted red peppers WRAPPED IN BACON. hahah, I didn't eat it but it looked and smelled amazing. Then Sergey brought out his brandy-doused fruitcake and Wesley with Bailey's. I offered to make PBJ sandwiches, but no one wanted them hahah, but I did help Robert make the homemade whipped cream to mix with his Danish rice pudding and almonds.

Yoga was absolutely necessary tonight.

"...but the truth is that people learn from the people they love."

-David Brooks, The Social Animal

Meera posted a lovely article, and that sentence resonated with me. We choose the path we choose because we are inspired by our mentors. I take for granted that I am the way I am because of the people I deeply respect or have changed me in a positive (or even negative) way.

This weekend was so much fun. Robert's going away party was bittersweet.

Jan and I learned how to ski with Wes before going to NP for football and food. Nick and Alex cooked up some mean looking meals (that I unfortunately can't eat). Ashley wonderfully made me a salmon burger, which was DELICIOUS. It was so nice of her. Then after watching Green Bay's interception and touchdown, Jan and I went out into the snow to go back to my house. This morning, I took her on a tour of Dartmouth before making us lunch before she went back down to New York. Now, I can't help but listen to Glee's versions of Umbrella/Singing in the Rain, Marry You (Bruno Mars), Hey Soul Sister (Train), etc.

Today's sunshine made me so happy.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

"That was you?"

-The J Bar operator on me skiing past him and into the snow bank

I FINALLY WENT SKIING with Wes and Jan.

We got up around 10ish, and Jan and I went to Lou's for brunch. I had a little bit of omelet and muffin and pancakes; they were all so good. At 12:30ish, Wes drove us to the Dartmouth Skiway in Lyme and taught us the basics with pizza pies and french fries. I eventually could go down the bunny slope with pseudo-parallel turns. I think I like xc skiing, which I will try Monday after the quiz, methinks. I am on such an adrenaline rush.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

getting through metabolism...

"If you can't understand my accent, get used it. I can't change it now."

"Keep me on track, I get enthusiastic."

-Dr. Scornik

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Crazy For You

-Best Coast, a bit happier surf pop

“I just put that [epiglottis] there so you’re not living in ignorance”
-Dr. Catlin

Anyway, I saw Dr. J.Lyons in lab today and held out my fist, and he came over after he finished talking to another group. He gave me a pound and said that this was his morning boost. And when I inquired about his mismatching shoes - a loafer and a sandal,  he said, "oh no I wondered why one foot was colder than the other." I enjoy people with a sense of humor.

I was feeling lethargic in lab, but was happier after cleaning off the subclavian artery. I finally could do something right. Especially when I "swung and missed" trying to find the recurrent laryngeal nerve on the right side (according to Dr. Swenson). It was amazing that after we dug around for so long, Dr. S. could swoop in, push around and then probe for the structures. I'm glad Quynh, Dan and Bijan were with me, trucking through it all.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

For Emma, Forever Ago

-Bon Iver, I have been listening to this album nonstop

yesterday was the best day ever.

i went snowboarding for the first time with menaka, chris, jocelyn, edmund, ryan g, kenoma, marianne, nadia, yike and ken. it wasn't that bad in terms of falling so my butt this morning wasn't in too much pain. it's my left hip though that is a little tender to the touch. the j bar! eeps, it was so much fun going down the bunny slopes. i think my favorite part was the fact that when i was not sure how to put my boot in the bindings, kenoma helped me do it. or when i could not go forward. or brake. or turn, edmund would teach me. i asked any question i wanted and always felt supported. next time, i'll take a lesson (and this will probably include the kidnapping of ryan f. - just letting you know). lunch consisted of a black bean burger and nadia's fries from the cafe. in the little loft area, i ran into chelsea who was with clint and suzie! it was fun to hang out with them, too. i made friends with the lift operators who gave me tips, even though they hadn't snowboarded in years and years.

a little 6 year old girl (guestimation) said she was better than me. she could very well be right.

then i came home to hot green tea and watched wesley's ski video before jumping into a hot shower. the movie is so good, http://vimeo.com/18280307 the beginning with their bloopers (you'll flinch) is funny and then the end with them landing all their jumps is amazing! around 6ish, wes and i walked down e wheelock to our respective dinners together; i went to jo ling's for ashley's birthday potluck. yum, quynh, jo, ashley, dan, chris, nick, alex, kenoma, ryan, sarah and justin can all cook... a little TOO well if you ask me. YUM.

Friday, January 7, 2011

"It's probably Jack Lyon's favorite artery, it has 16 branches..."

-Dr. Catlin on the maxillary artery going into the brain

Dr. C. then mentions that we'll be hearing about all 16 branches in a later lecture presented by Dr. J.Lyons. I look up to where he was sitting and he fist pumps in acknowledgment.

LOVE. [8:38 am]
 ---
During lab, Dr. J.L and I pound and explode. He says, "This brightens my day."

Me too, sir. Me too.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

"So give me something to believe...

Cause I am living just to breathe
And I need something more
To keep on breathing for
So give me something to believe"
 -The Bravery

i went to the gym on wed at 6 am. it was the earliest i had woken up in a long time. i did my thing and worked out my abs on the giant bouncy ball. on my way back home, there was this cute older lady running up the hill with her dog. she made an effort to say good morning to me, and that left me in a good mood. we had immuno and on doc. plus, it was the last class with lee witters. he is really inspiring. i appreciate that he discovered ampk, can encourage us to do good in the world, and offer his time and his rare copy of the movie about the discovery of insulin by saying, "we should get a keg, low carb snacks, and watch this movie." the low carb snacks thing was thrown in due to the fact that he had been teaching us about metabolism.

oh man,  throughout the day, it hurt to laugh, stretch, or anything really because of my abs. it was a good sore... but that didn't make it any less painful. menaka and i went to dhmc to study a bit and then i passed at as soon as i got home. i woke up 8 hours later feeling so refreshed. i think i tricked my body into thinking i will stay active though because i have been ravenous every few hours. i need to keep that under control.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

today's weather forcast: a high of 30, sunny and snowy

waking up this morning was kind of difficult. the sky was still dark and my bed was so warm. eventually i turned off the buzzing alarm clock and went to the gym to work out. i brought my physiology notes but couldn't read past the fact that the main extracellular buffer is bicarbonate and the main intracellular buffer is hemoglobin. i put it away and turned up eminem. i appreciated these lyrics at the time i listened to them:

"I'm way too up to back down
But I think I'm still tryna figure this crap out
Thought I had it mapped out but I guess I didn't
This f^c%i#g black cloud still follows me around
But it's time to exercise these demons
These motherf^c%e$s are doing jumping jacks now!"

he's so angry and vulgar and inappropriate... but i dig it. i did abs on the giant bouncy ball - with so much more effort than doing crunches on the ground. i showered and went to class to learn about renal physiology. during lunch, i sat with whitney, nick, margaret, and jeff. everyone seemed to have had an eventful break at home :) it's hard to believe how different our ideas of home are. people are moving away and getting married with children on the way. crazy. i had a near panic attack when i clicked through a survey about something. i realized that i will not be able to select that i am between the ages of 18-24 in 20 months.

anyway, after lunch, we got tea and chocolate. i definitely enjoyed the tingle of mint tea during biochemistry. then i went to the library but realized i didn't feel productive so i left since i probably will not be. i need a nap, and then we'll see where the day takes me. back to 8 am classes tomorrow.......

Saturday, January 1, 2011

kaskelot (sperm whale, which is the ct state animal, in danish)

ahh, home sweet home. i am now in my house in hanover with the smell of roasting potatoes and glögg (a scandinavian christmas drink consisting of glogg concentrate, red wine, almonds and raisins, courtesy of robert and mette). i had ridden the dartmouth coach with alex from boston and watched killers with ashton kutcher and katherine heigl - so cute and funny!

last night was amazing. i had gotten into the city and worked out for a bit before catching up on my one tree hill and 90210. then emily came back and we got ready to go to arjun's for a pregame. one by one, we all reunited. it was so much fun to chill and sip on johnnie walker and coke while watching the boys be mesmerized by pandora. i went downtown to hang out with rachie, christina, andrew, ben, aaron, casey, and their other friends. we counted down and wished each other a happy new year on the roof with the green and red empire state building in our sights (as we tried not to fall on the snow). then at 12:30ish, rach walked me halfway as i went to stay to meet up with the other people. it was a good time dancing around with emily, anjali, jay, arjun and krishna. emily and i got home sometime around 4:45 after she got a lamb in pita and went to bed. happy 2011.

phi's lover quarrel mix is awesome: http://soundcloud.com/phiunit/phi-unit-lovers-quarrel