The Real-Life Equivalent of Dr. House

Fascinating stuff. Tragic stories but at the same time it gives me hope that medical progress is being made one SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) at a time.


Undiagnosed Diseases Program

Oscar! The gold statue one, not the green furry one. [Spoiler Alert]

Well, it's about time for the Academy Awards again and in the rush to see some of the nominated movies, I just got back from The Reader. I have seen 3/5 films nominated for best picture, and in my biased opinion the best three. I saw Slumdog Millionaire when I was home for Thanksgiving break with my family, and Milk and The Reader here in DC. I really enjoyed all three, each for a different reason. Slumdog was, as it is billed, very unique. Apart from the sappy story where the protagonist wins in the end it exposed me to a corner of the world that I have seen very little of, and a life of poverty that most of us can hardly fathom. Although it was only a movie, it made feel as if I was transported to India, and it made me want to be a pediatrician all the more, if only to be able to help children in need, whether it be those in India, or right here in our own cities, who are not receiving adequate care....Milk was fascinating and quite poignant as well. Harvey Milk was a courageous individual who not only fought for what he believed in as a politician but also the rights and equalities he believed all Americans deserve regardless. I have always found Sean Penn to be an amazing actor, capable of transforming himself into the character he is playing. His role as Harvey Milk was nothing short of his best work rivaling Dead Man Walking, Mystic River, and 21 Grams (other movies of his I've seen). Also, I think all of the supporting actors really brought the film together and although it was certainly about Milk's life, the ensemble helped to paint a picture of the times, and the struggle that was going on in SF and throughout the country....Having just seen The Reader, I have not fully collected my thoughts. And I know some may say that the Holocaust subject matter has become somewhat trite in Hollywood, and others may argue that we must never forget the mistakes we have made in history nevertheless, this movie is hardly about that. To me it was a study of characters, of human emotions. For me it was about love, betrayal, longing, pain, forgiveness and retribution among other feelings. The complex characters in the film were deftly captured by Winslet who's performance was definitely Oscar worthy, and the young Michael Berg played by David Kross was magnificent as well. I think that there were many layers to this movie, and I am currently still unwrapping them in my head, so I am sorry for the abrupt ending to my monologue (some of you might be happy however).
Well, I hope I haven't ruined the movies for those who have yet to make it to the theater. I know most people are busy with higher education, strenuous jobs or other time commitments. I guess I am just trying to make the most of my free time before the proverbial feces hits the fan starting in Aug.
In other news, I am very pleased with the purchases I made from the warehouse sale at Barney's and unlike my usual post-shopping blues, I am feeling no buyer's remorse despite my frugality. Also, hooray for finally getting my Canali shirt back from the damn store that promised to help me replace the buttons from the dry cleaning fiasco, even if they did have to fly new ones in from Italy- I don't care, they did it for free haha. (that reminds me of that old mastercard commercial "a leather bustier that lifts and separates...I don't care) HAHAHA. oh man, i am really blabbing now, hope you are enjoying ;-)
Ok, it is definitely time for some warm weather. If I can't go on spring break to some warm weather paradise, I damn well better be able to wear my flip flops around here and sunbathe at the monuments. (that's a hoot...like I'd ever sit out half naked in front of Japanese tourists and there cameras... "Well here we have the famous Washington monument, and at the front, oh boy, there is the famed skinny white boy in his bermudas getting a tan!") So yeah, basically I would settle for not having to wear a scarf and gloves to work in the morning.
Anyone got any ideas for a new recipe? I think I reached an all time low tonight- I know I have boasted about my culinary skills, and maybe I can attribute the mess to my laziness and inability to drag my ass to Trader Joes, but tonight I made pasta with ground beef, black olives and green beans...well, it was better than it sounds, but not by much.
Looking forward to the Sunday NYTimes tomorrow and by the time I make a dent it will be time for the Oscars...no, not the grouch.

Off to New York

I am headed to the Big Apple tomorrow. Off to visit Dr. Dani for the long weekend. I shall be sure to describe my adventures upon my return to the district. I hope everyone has a great President's Day and Valentine's Day if you celebrate. Hasta luego.

A New Take on The Eagles

The original is a masterpiece, the Gipsy Kings version is amazing. The the words of The Dude proved otherwise: "Come on, man. I had a rough night and I hate the fuckin' Eagles, man!" But...

This is a new level! Judge for yourself:

Who Is Your Hero?

I just watched 60 Minutes and the hour long telecast featured the gripping account from the miraculous landing of U.S. Airways flight 1549 which touched down in the Hudson River on January 15th. I am sure by now everyone knows the story of events, so I won't go over them. This was the first interview with captain Sullenberger and his crew. The captain's calm, stoic demeanor during the short flight, water landing, rescue and now during the interview were were truly inspiring to me. The closest I have felt to thinking I was going to die was facing a speeding car head on in the back of a tourist van on a narrow road in Turkey. But that adrenaline rush was only momentary. So having no true basis to really understand or empathize with the crew or passengers, I am only left to admire their heroism. Captain Sully is nothing short of a true hero. I know that term is thrown around lightly these days, from sports figures to political figures. I am not here to judge anyone's opinions or even to state my own really. I just feel that in today's turbulent times, Capt. Sully is certainly a hero though for saving 155 people when it seemed like a horrific disaster was inevitable; he remains humble and stoic as he is lauded for his acts. I have been thinking about heroism recently even before seeing the interview. I am reading Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder which recounts the life and career of Dr. Paul Farmer. (thanks for the libro primo) Dr. Farmer grew up in a small town in Florida, and spent parts of his childhood living both in a docked boat and a parked RV/Bus thanks to his poor, stubborn, eccentric father. Dr. Farmer was a prodigy from a young age and before he had graduated from Duke, he had already found his true passion beyond medicine: serving the impoverished people of Hait- the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. Since I haven't yet finished reading, I am not going to recount the first hundred pages. Safe to say, Paul Farmer is another selfless human being. When he could be making millions as both a first-rate Infectious Disease physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Nevertheless, Farmer forfeited the fame and comforts of medicine in Boston and devoted his life to curing AIDS and TB in rural Haiti.
Stories like Paul Farmer's and Flight 1549 are provocative. They help put in perspective our own hardships and accolades. And not that everyone needs to sell their possessions, donate their life savings to charity or commit all the time to selfless acts and forget their personal gains, but it makes me wonder what my impact, my contribution to this world has been, is and will be. Sure, going into medicine may will say is an honorable choice for my career. Yet, when I think about people who have truly contributed something in their lives, whether they received an ounce of fame or recognition, I stop and think what will I be remembered for, if anything. I am not saying I hope to find the cure for cancer or end starvation in a remote village, but I would how to leave some legacy that shows my efforts to better people's lives.
Enough of my passive preaching, which I hope it is not.

I want to know what heroes you have come across in your life. They can be anyone, famous, or common. Who has influenced your life, and who do you believe has influenced our world?

Culinary pursuits

Just made clam spaghetti from scratch! It was one of my favorite dishes that my Mom made, and so I tried to duplicate it after getting the craving at work (no I'm not pregnant). It went pretty well. I found frozen steamer clams at trader joes.
Time for the Nuggies v. Wizards on EPSN... more from Chez Blaine to follow.
Have a good night!

Gonged

Well, today marks a new whoa in the medical school application process for me. I received two rejections in the same day. Most days I am frantically checking my gmail (yes this goes beyond just having the gmail window open at the bottom of my computer at work) and scrutinizing every new silent "ding" of my inbox. But today, I wasn't even thinking about med school news funny enough, and when I checked my email for the first time I received a rejection from Creighton. Not that I wanted to go to Nebraska and make friends with the corn fields or anything or get back to my Jesuit roots (haha) but it stings nevertheless. Not to mention the email assured me that I would also be receiving this notice in writing, in case anything about thanks but no thanks confused me.
The rest of my day went ok, except for the fact that starting at a glowing computer screen didn't exactly help the throb of my sinus pressure. Work was fine, I managed to stay almost 10 hours, in order to makeup some time I am planning on missing on Friday to leave early.
Then I arrived back home, only to open my mailbox and find one thin envelope. I knew it right then, this was gonna be a double dose. As I glanced at the sender's insignia, it burned even more. Albert Einstein...a private school in the Bronx...basically my top choice. A great school, and in New York. Not that I thought I had a good chance of getting an interview from them, but there is no way to feel good about a rejection, especially when it's from a geographic region of desirability :-(

Well, hopefully doing laundry tonight treats me ok, and at least I don't have to get up at 5:30 am like I did this morning...Oh yeah, and I am going to New York on Friday..wahoo!

P.S. Congrats to my cousin Kevin for getting into Nursing School at Columbia!

Welcome February

Rabbit! Rabbit!
Welcome to February everyone. And by starting off my first post of the month with "rabbit rabbit" I am sure to have good luck. According to my fourth grade teacher, you are supposed to say "rabbit rabbit" as the first thing you utter on the first day of every month and you will have good luck. I try to remember before I get out of bed most months. Nevertheless, some mornings I am unaware altogether that a new month has arrived, and other times, all I can think about is how its morning and I have to pee, or that I am freezing, or that its 6:30 am and that I would really rather not be going to work and instead of uttering "lapin lapin" (haha) I am substituting the childish ritual for cursing. Wow, how I've rambled, but that's what you readers signed up for...please reference the blog description.
Ok, so it is the second month of 2009! I have been living in 811 for over 7 months! Just like I am sure everyone else is saying, except maybe for those economic pundits who wish that time would pass sooner, and that we weren't in the endless toilet bowl spiral of the "recession," I like most rational or maybe irrational folks, am amazed how fast recent or maybe that is very relative, but some recent span of time has passed. In a few short months I will be moving out of my apartment and then starting medical school who knows where. But I really can't keep projecting my future and need to remain in the present! Carpe Diem you fool!

Well, it's Super Bowl Sunday, and like a good Ammmurican, I am going to be sitting in front of my tv watching the great american game. Although many of today's players will end up with some crappy pension, suffering from bad knees and too many concussions (athlete brains). There I go on another rant, thanks neuropsych, trauma department, mommy telling me to wear a helmet, etc., etc.

It should be amussing, although I am not sure who to root for. I think I might actually be pulling for the Cardinals. I'm sure they have about as much chance of winning as George W. Bush has of being elected a member of Mensa; but, I've liked Larry Fitzgerald since his days at Pitt, and I usually pull for the underdog...except for maybe Rogggger Federer (damn Aussie Open). So yeah, I will be watching along with the rest of the couch potato, chip dipping, beer drinking fat ass Americans. I am feeling lots better from my recent soiree with the flu, so I might even crack open a cold one (import, please) myself.

With the close of Sunday, comes another brutal work week. But I am headed up to New York on Friday to celebrate Danielle's Birthday, so that should be ample motivation to work some extra hours and hop on the Chinatown bus early Friday afternoon.

That's all for now kids! I am sure most people are still sleeping, but since I prescribed bed-rest for myself, I managed to sleep 10 hours and wake up at 8am! G is for Glorious I know (that fucking G commercial is in my head). So enjoy your Sunday everyone and remember....in the words of E. Hemingway... Hay que aprovechar el tiempo.