"The absence of muscle glycogen synthase results in HCM...

In this pedigree, the proband is a 10 year old boy who died of a recessive mutation leading to abnormal glycogen synthase. You can see his parents were first cousins.

...that is why you don't do that."

-Dr. Higgs

"what would you do if your son was at home...?"

-city high

what a perfect day.

woke up early without an alarm clock
went to the gym
baked cookies
got to hang out in norwich with awesome people
pet therapy with lucy and the other pup, whose name i can't remember
ate homemade naan with cucumber, tahini, curry paste, yogurt, eggplant, and mango.
hiked in the snow
drank jack and coke
sat on a heated kitchen floor
listened to kanye's new album whilst on the heated floor
sat by a roaring fireplace
played a charades-like game (girls won btw)
ate homemade pasta (by brooks and kristin)
listened to old school hip hop (eve, city high, etc)
libby and margaret's bday party

---good night.

44 degrees in a snow-covered hanover

today i looked outside my window to see the melting snow and ice from the roof drip down from up. it was gray and seemed like it was actually raining. then suddenly, the clouds that concealed the sun moved. the day brightened immediately. it was the same situation - i was still looking at the water splash into a puddle, but suddenly, my outlook improved. at that moment, i thought that i should do that more often.

we all can.

we can look on the bright side of things even when things suck. we cannot expect things to run perfectly all the time. even if we did, we can't control it. however, we can choose how to react. we can choose to be graceful and pick ourselves up with the same confidence as when things seem to be ideal.

who knows, maybe in one of those instances, you'll be exposed to a snagged seam that reveals how perfect or imperfect things really are.

"Excelsior!"

Latin and archaic English word meaning "ever higher."

wow there really are 16 branches of the maxillary artery from the external carotid.

first part to bony processes
1. deep auricular artery
2. anterior tympanic artery through petrotympanic fissure
3. middle meningeal artery through foramen spinosum
4. accessory meningeal artery through foramen ovale
5. inferior alveolar artery through the inf alveolar foramen
   a. mylohyoid artery
   b. mental artery

second part to tissue/muscle
6. pterygoid artery
7. masseteric artery
8-9. deep temporal arteries (2)
10. buccal artery
   a. lingual artery

third pterygopalatine portion to bony structures
11. pharyngeal artery through pharyngeal canal to nasopharynx
12. descending palatine artery through greater palatine cana
   a. greater branches to hard palate
   b. lesser branches to soft palates
13. sphenopalatine artery (terminal branch) enters nose through sphenopalatine foramen
14. artery of pterygoid canal to nasopharynx
15. posterior superior alveolar artery branches as it enters the fissure and goes into maxilla
16. infraorbital artery enters orbit through fissure with anterior superior alveolar artery branching off

"We are gas guzzlers of animal world to generate heat, permitting us to live in NH for example."

-dr. scornik, on why substrate cycles are important despite not having net effects

lecture is going a bit slow. i wouldn't have come but i adore this professor as a person. he has a sense of humor that i appreciate.

i wish i had a zamboni to smooth over my completely frozen driveway so i could ice skate.

i rode in the back of a police car with chelsea last night after splitting a mediterranean pizza pie with her at ramunto's. the seat is PLASTIC, crazy.

i am going to healer's art and then to the ob/gyn interest group talk about abortion and then hosting a prospie today. i feel like it will be a long day.

this friday, school of seven bells is playing at fuel, which should be good.
 ---
"what would you want for yourself in terms of smoking?" "i would want cigarettes to disappear off the face of the earth." "oh, if they were made illegal?" "no, that would make them more interesting."
-nan, motivationally interviewing a smoker

"You see the salt on this pretzel? Look at the stars. Some people, they say the stars are billions and billions of tons of hot gas. But I think maybe, maybe it's just God's salt. And God's just waiting to eat us."

-Can't Hardly Wait, 1999

yesterday i was walking home from the gym as the snow fell. i felt so small looking up into the vast black sky as little snowflakes seemingly appeared from nowhere. it was a nice moment.

i had cooked food with np kids for chinese new year from 4 pm - 9 pm and ate so much along the way (you know, not for the benefit of myself but for others - i had to make sure that it tasted good). so for my mental health, i went to the gym super late, but it was not good for my physical health as i was awake in my bed for 2 hours, unable to fall asleep. it's interesting to choose between two things that are not good for you. i guess in the long run, i would rather feel ok in my own skin than a little tired the next morning. i'll take a nap in the library later haha.

hep A...

me:  IM SCARED TO TOUCH MY FACE

 Sent at 3:02 PM on Saturday

elliot:  i would only be scared if my hands were covered in shit

 

touche.

"sleep is like dark matter... of the brain."

-sergey

1. nadia, i'm going over to the dark side.

2. sun neen fai lok.

3. i'm so sorry for the witzgall and budesa families. i can't imagine the pain you must feel; my heart aches reading about these boys, who were taken away too soon. it's been so long since we've spoken, ashley and michael, but you are in my thoughts.

new years resolutions

it might seem like it's late, but i'm just going with the lunar new year ;)

this year i will try not to complain as much.
i will appreciate what i have.
i will take the time to be outside, especially with people who make me happy.
i will make the time to stay in touch with people, but understand if things come up.
i will take each obstacle in stride, knowing that it might get better but it might not.. and i won't be able to do anything about it but accept it and react in a positive way. (this stems from the neurosurgeon who was commenting about the new system getting installed: you can't change it, you can only make it work for you).
i will be kind and not judge, because we all start somewhere. it is so much more graceful to be patient and understanding. everyone benefits (also from that neurosurgeon who taught me about the case even though i had not learned neural science or the rest of head and neck anatomy).
i will not give up sweets or other enjoyable things i like in order to study, but will take everything in moderation and not feel guilty.

and most importantly, i'll take what people tell me into consideration but will form my own opinions.