My Spidey Sense is Tingling

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You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility.

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Stuffy Old Lady Soapbox Time

Currently reading this op-ed from the Times, which is basically by this dad who saw a middle school talent show and is shocked by the lewd behavior of the girls onstage. On the one hand, I remember singing song lyrics from when I was that age, and not having a clue what they meant, other than thinking they were vaguely about sex (e.g. "Come Baby Come," or even "Baby Got Back"). On the other hand, I definitely didn't wear sexy clothes, gyrate, or do striptease-like moves, like the 10- to 13-year-olds described in the op-ed. So I guess I'm saying I agree with the author that parents should not condone this kind of behavior in middle schoolers, instead of being like the permissive mother of the lead Plastic in Mean Girls.

Detente

Rog's girlfriend Rachel arrived at our house tonight, along with her dog, Parker (who, as I've said before, is the best dog in the world). Max, our cat, is wary. Apparently when we all pulled up in the car (I had gone with them to Matt and Maggie's house first, to play Scattergories) to the house, Parker got out, and Max had climbed a tree in fright. Rog had to go out to our back porch and call to him to coax him down. Max sniffed around the car and driveway suspiciously, and finally Rog had to go pick him up to bring him inside the house. We're hoping we can partition the house at first (hey, maybe it won't work in Iraq, but let's try in our house, at least) and hopefully they can get used to each other's smells and even see each other through a crack in the sliding doors, before having to interact.

I *Am* Being Productive

I had a really lazy day. I slept in, had pie for breakfast, lazed around online and watched some TV, and then went back to my room to read more of the Economist holiday issue, where I fell asleep again. Awoke, went for a run and lifted some weights (my only "virtuous" activity of the day, as mom might say). Watched Rog play "World of Warcraft," which is delightfully nerdy. The rest of the evening was basically spent doing this jigsaw puzzle with Mom and Rog while watching The Simpsons (that fifth season on DVD that I got twice for Christmas).

I totally defend my laziness. In general I haven't gotten to have as much leisure time as the rest of the population -- at most one free day every few weeks -- and the next few months will be pretty busy, so I figure my best use of this time is to curl up in my new extra-soft bathrobe, do jigsaw puzzles, read for pleasure, watch movies, and most of all, hang out with my family. (Hmm, that reminds me, Rog and I should plan some Settlers of Catan time with Matt and Maggie.) The more rest and relaxation I get now, the more happy, energized, and motivated I'll be in the next few months.

Loot

Today for Christmas I got:
- a reeeeally plush white bathrobe, which I'm sure will soon turn dun and dirty, but I love wearing. Very soft. Plus soft socks.
-The Simpsons fifth season on DVD x2 (both my mother and brother Rog gave this to me. But I get to trade one in for a different season! Woohoo!)
-a handy gadget to keep a book propped up and open
-an awesome mug and refrigerator magnet, the mug with a picture of Matt, Maggie, Ben, Mom and me at my white coat ceremony, and the magnet with a picture of MMBI (my handy acronym for that family) just after Isaac's birth, in the hospital.
-flannel sheets, pillowcases, and a thick down comforter (although this winter better get colder and fast... I won't be able to enjoy this cold-weather stuff if it continues being so creepily mild)
-an IOU from my mom for a small shopping spree at Nordstrom's
-a beautiful umbrella
-a book which I'm really looking forward to reading, called "Stiffs" about cadavers
-a new Merl Reagle crossword puzzle book
-a donation in my name to the Heifer fund, which will help Rosie O'Donnell in her fight against Donald Trump. Har har har. It actually helps the poor in developing countries learn sustainable economic skills such as raising chickens
-I might have gotten something else, but I forget right now. It was a bonanza of stuff, basically, and all of it thoughtful gifts -- I'm thoroughly looking forward to enjoying them.

It's pouring rain out, and my aunt and uncle have arrived for Christmas dinner. We're still waiting on a few cousins and their kids to show up. I suppose I should emerge from my secret lair.

Fun With Limeys

Just wanted to give a shoutout to the Britcom "Little Britain." Diane and her husband Dave love it, and my intern at Einstein highly recommended it. He in fact would quote it, saying "But I'm a lady" and doing this mincing step. But I didn't see it until today. It's very good, especially because of the versatility of the two (!) actors who make up most of the characters.

My Precioussss

I just got this week's Economist. The cover is this man in a suit leaping into this snowscape, and the headline says "Happiness (and how to measure it)." Below, there's "Plus: WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? A 10-page report on the brain." Talk about stuff that gets my nerd endings juiced! And below that were a whole bunch of other little headlines like "The art of conversation/Genghis Khan's heirs/Meteorites" etc. It's the special holiday double issue.

I literally picked it up, rubbed the glossy cover against my cheek, and said "Mmmmmm." Vacation is good.

Hallelujah

This is a special sweetness: when you've been working hard for a very long time, without a lot of time to just hang out or let your mind wander, to finally finish your work and be rewarded with a long stretch of time off.

I had as many drinks as I wanted today. I stayed out as late as I wanted (which ended up being not that late, as my baseline bedtime has been about 9:30pm and I got too tired around 11pm to stay up much more). I got together with old friends from high school and reminisced. By the by, it turns out that there was a 5-year high school reunion, but it was the cool kids who organized it, and they didn't invite most of the class (the uncool kids). Real mature. :) I wasn't too heartbroken.

Anyway, a good day. Now it's time to drink lots of water and hope nobody wakes me up tomorrow morning.

GAACK!

Gaack! is what a commenter on this blog said in response to her latest post. I read this blog every day, as long as I'm at a computer. I wonder why she's ending the blog. b00t. It was my favorite blog to read every day. Others don't post very much or they do post every day but I'm not as engaged. Meh.

The Evolution of Movies

Interesting to see which movies have stood the test of time and which haven't, during my tour of my Netflix queue. "The Royal Tenenbaums," which I loved when it first came out, falls flat as I watch it again. It's trying too hard. Gene Hackman is still great, but I just don't really care about any of the characters. It's like Wes Anderson wanted to show off his different camera angles (and also, everything in the movie is a reference to another movie, if the audio commentary is to be believed).

On the other hand, "A Mighty Wind," which I thought was just so-so when it came out, is better than I'd thought. It's got some believable emotional pull to it, and ends up being genuinely touching.

Some of these changes over time may reflect who I was when I first saw these; maybe I was less mature then (okay, definitely I was less mature, but maybe that had something to do with this) and since then, some cinematic dimensions have become more important to me and others have faded. Others of the movies I've watched, I think, reflect the times for which they were made more, and now seem anachronistic. The converse-example (? I'm making this word up, but hopefully you see what I mean) is "The Big Lebowski," which I hated when I first saw it, but over time have come to appreciate its genius. I think that movie was ahead of its time. I like noticing this stuff, about how the process of appreciating something over time involves changes in yourself, mostly, since works of art or music or movies aren't changing. The exception is when a work is so multifaceted and well crafted that you keep discovering something new each time you experience it. I think that must be at least part of what defines greatness.

Bad Santa

I'm sorry, family and friends. You're getting crappy Christmas gifts, if you're getting anything. I feel really, really bad about this, but I haven't had any free time ALL MONTH. We'll see if I can pull something off in the few days between my final and Christmas. Bleah. Time for bed.

Hmm

Why are boys so confusing? Tonight, I got some mixed signals from Seth, who I saw for the first time in three months. I don't think I'm in any place or have any inclination to get back together, but it still surprised me. I feel warm and caring and happy that we can talk again. But I don't feel very sentimental.

Gaaaaaaah

Drowning in work. And the worst part is, a lot of the most important work I need to do requires some thoughtfulness and time, neither of which I have a lot of.

My concert was eh. I mean, the chorus sang really, really well, but my solo was just okay. In retrospect, it was the end of a bad week, and I was tired, so I under-performed, and then kicked myself afterwards. I felt like crying. But looking back, I was just over-reacting.

Anyway, if I can just make it through this week and write one more H and P and make a presentation, I'll be golden. Still more work after that, but a little less pressured. And then two whole weeks of vacation! I sorely need it. I've noticed that I experience a whole lot of foot-dragging on days like today, when I've relaxed a little bit and then need to head back to work. NOOOOOooooo-wuh! :)

Surfacing

Sheesh. I have been incredibly busy lately. Including the commute, my work days have been almost 12 hours long, and then I have to come home and study afterwards. And what with my chorus concert being this Friday, I have rehearsals up the wazoo (especially since I have a solo! w00t), so I barely get time to eat, let alone relax or go to the gym. And I realized long ago that all my studying is wasted if I don't get enough sleep, so I have to make time for that.

For example, here's a typical day from this week (my plan for tomorrow):
5:40am -- wake up
6:15am -- leave to get tea or coffee and hop on the subway, study on the subway
7:00am -- arrive at work, change into my white coat, see my patients and write progress notes
11:30am -- Grand Rounds (probably something pulmonary)
12:30pm -- lunch
5:00pm -- finish work, leave the hospital, study on the subway
5:40pm -- scrounge up some grub
6:00pm -- study
7:00pm -- chorus rehearsal
9:45pm -- bedtime

So anyway, I'm gonna keep my nose to the grindstone this week, then plan on taking some study breaks this weekend to relax and let my eyes glaze over. I gotta take some me-time and reawaken some humanity in myself if I'm going to make it through the next couple of weeks till the exam (and till this #%*&ing report is due the same day).

Abusing Myself

I worked hard all day (interspersed with long periods of absolute boredom following my intern and resident around while they worked). In fact, I've been working hard all week, with progressively worsening moods. And I've been eating a lot, and most of it junk. Feeling fatty fat fat.

But the good part is, my resident gave me the day off tomorrow, so I get allllll day Sunday off! Woooo! I should study all day, and I probably will do that for much of the day, but I think I also need some R and R.

I'm being exquisitely boring, and I apologize. Such is life.