I took a test today. The rate-limiter on the test was reading speed. the first person out of the room was done in 17 minutes. That's more than 4 questions a minute. The last couple weeks have been really slow. It's as if, for both of the classes we have right now, they had too much material to fit on the last test, but not really enough to justify another whole test. That's ok though because it has allowed me to really not spend any time on schoolwork.
After I finished the test I had some extra time and didn't feel like studying for next weeks test, so I went to the hardware store. I replaced the thermostat and a broken light fixture. Now I can see the clothes in my closet and we have a functioning thermostat, which I guess is better than being cold all the time.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
I've never known anyone this famous
Enter my wife's first and last name on google and check out the first listing
This is a one minute transcript from one of my lectures. I took the time to transcribe it for you. Go ahead and read it...read it out loud for maximum effect. the (hhh) is just a full exhalation, make it sound like you're getting the wind knocked out of you.
Lets uh look at uh uh neonatal jaundice ah uh uh also e ref(hhh)erred to uh as uh kern(hhh)icterus and uh and uh anduh this is ah a ah ah transient jaundiceah in uh neonates and ah and ah and ah d eh d eh dis ah occurs in particular in ah uh premature inf(hhh)ants ah um ah since ah since ah ah de ah de ah immature ah enzy(hhh)mes involved in ah bilirubin conjugation and ah and ah so there is ahthese pigments uh are ah metabolized ah ah by ah ah by ah ah so cytochrome P 45(hhh)0 and ah and ah for example ah cytochrome 3A4 ah that ah ah that ah is absent in the fetus and ah ah uh and uh in the...
Here is the relevant section from the notes we were given by the school
Neonatal Jaundice
In Neonates transient jaundice is common particularly in premature infants, and is due to immaturity of the enzymes involved in bilirubin concentration.
And yes he was actually reading off the power point screen
And this is what most of his lectures are like. The thing is though, I like the guy. He's really smart, and when he talks about his areas of specialty he's actually pretty interesting, if hard to follow. He taught the lecture on the biochemistry of AIDS(which ironically took place on Valentines day)--it was fascinating. He also brought candy bars to class.
Lets uh look at uh uh neonatal jaundice ah uh uh also e ref(hhh)erred to uh as uh kern(hhh)icterus and uh and uh anduh this is ah a ah ah transient jaundiceah in uh neonates and ah and ah and ah d eh d eh dis ah occurs in particular in ah uh premature inf(hhh)ants ah um ah since ah since ah ah de ah de ah immature ah enzy(hhh)mes involved in ah bilirubin conjugation and ah and ah so there is ahthese pigments uh are ah metabolized ah ah by ah ah by ah ah so cytochrome P 45(hhh)0 and ah and ah for example ah cytochrome 3A4 ah that ah ah that ah is absent in the fetus and ah ah uh and uh in the...
Here is the relevant section from the notes we were given by the school
Neonatal Jaundice
In Neonates transient jaundice is common particularly in premature infants, and is due to immaturity of the enzymes involved in bilirubin concentration.
And yes he was actually reading off the power point screen
And this is what most of his lectures are like. The thing is though, I like the guy. He's really smart, and when he talks about his areas of specialty he's actually pretty interesting, if hard to follow. He taught the lecture on the biochemistry of AIDS(which ironically took place on Valentines day)--it was fascinating. He also brought candy bars to class.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Robots
Fear not Steven:
For the first law of robotics states that a robot cannot do anything which would injure a human being.
Thus it is a logical impossibility for a robot to participate in the government. Particularly as its head.
So you can see, that despite the fact that they parrot public opinion, and sound as you would expect a robot to sound, they are not in fact robots. In fact what you have to realize that Robots are capable of critical thinking, their circuits are logic based. The presidential candidates haven't yet shown any hint of independant brain function yet.
Also Fear not Jane:
For any of the three can win and you won't be able to tell the difference. In fact they could all three win and you wouldn't be able to tell. They are robots after all.
For the first law of robotics states that a robot cannot do anything which would injure a human being.
Thus it is a logical impossibility for a robot to participate in the government. Particularly as its head.
So you can see, that despite the fact that they parrot public opinion, and sound as you would expect a robot to sound, they are not in fact robots. In fact what you have to realize that Robots are capable of critical thinking, their circuits are logic based. The presidential candidates haven't yet shown any hint of independant brain function yet.
Also Fear not Jane:
For any of the three can win and you won't be able to tell the difference. In fact they could all three win and you wouldn't be able to tell. They are robots after all.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Of power, race, and beautiful women
The mayor of Detroit is a man named Kwame Kilpatrick. He was first elected in 2002 and reelected in 2006 (there's the power part). For the record (its relevance will emerge) he is a black man and he is married(there's the beautiful woman part).
A bit of history:
1. During his first term in office Mr. Kilpatrick was embroiled in a scandal...it was alledged that he had an affair with his chief of staff (that makes it women). There was also a major issue over the doling out of city contracts ar some such that was the more important issue at the time. The man who blew the proverbial whistle was fired before he could get the whole story out, it was all covered up and lots of paper was shredder.
2. Also during his first term Mr. Kilpatrick was found to be having an affair with another woman(too bad there's no word meaning three women). So during his reelection campaign he went on TV and had an emotional moment with his wife where he apologized and vowed never to do it again and so on and so forth. And she said she was struggling with the pain and so on and so forth. Anyway he was reelected based apparently on the widespread perception that the white establishment of Detroit was out to get him (there's race)
3. Last fall the man who was fired for exposing the mayor's misbehavior fired suit under the federal whistleblower's protection act. As a part of that suit Mr. Kilpatrick testified under oath that he had never had an affair with his chief of staff. And she did the same. It didn't matter however because the jury found for the plaintiff. The city appealed and eventually settled with the lucky man who lost his job to the tune of several million dollars(taxpayer money in a city that can't afford to maintain basic services).
4. In January the Detroit Free Press aquired Mr Kilpatrick's work cell phone records under the freedom of information act and combed through his text messages. It was revealed unambiguously that he did in fact have an affair with his chief of staff and perjured himself during the trial. And he knew the whole time that the affair was a matter of public record easily accertainable by the public.
This is where I come in. I have taken to going down to the gym a few times a week and walking and running on the treadmill. I like to go at 7:30 and watch Jeopardy. So I went down there and turned on Jeopardy, except it wasn't it was Mr. Kilpatrick doing the whole "sorry I'll never do it again" song and dance routine with his wife. They were on every channal, so I had to listen to him go on and on about how he's not stepping down etc. I was a little upst because to my mind he really shouldn't even be given a stage upon which to act. And they canceled the show I was going to watch. Then, they had a little segment of reactions to the speech...every black respondant said they believed him and felt sorry for him and felt like he should be given another chance. Every white respondant thought he should step down. There were also protesters marching in the street against the white people of Detroit and the media for persecuting the Mayor. It was fascinating to me. It seems like race is a bigger issue here than in Arizona. I could be wrong. Anyway...here...or in Detroit anyway...its a chasm, a huge dividing factor. Not in personal interaction as much...but certainly in cultural outlook and approach major issues. I'm not trying to imply that all blacks or all whites think alike. Just that there is a major cultural divide in this city.
5. Mr Kilpatrick is currently embroiled in a scandal concerning a topless dancer who turned up brutally murdered and is currently believed to have had several affairs in office.
6. The thing is, he seems to have done a pretty good job as mayor of Detroit...not most people's dream job. The city has seen consistent improval by all accounts under his watch.
A bit of history:
1. During his first term in office Mr. Kilpatrick was embroiled in a scandal...it was alledged that he had an affair with his chief of staff (that makes it women). There was also a major issue over the doling out of city contracts ar some such that was the more important issue at the time. The man who blew the proverbial whistle was fired before he could get the whole story out, it was all covered up and lots of paper was shredder.
2. Also during his first term Mr. Kilpatrick was found to be having an affair with another woman(too bad there's no word meaning three women). So during his reelection campaign he went on TV and had an emotional moment with his wife where he apologized and vowed never to do it again and so on and so forth. And she said she was struggling with the pain and so on and so forth. Anyway he was reelected based apparently on the widespread perception that the white establishment of Detroit was out to get him (there's race)
3. Last fall the man who was fired for exposing the mayor's misbehavior fired suit under the federal whistleblower's protection act. As a part of that suit Mr. Kilpatrick testified under oath that he had never had an affair with his chief of staff. And she did the same. It didn't matter however because the jury found for the plaintiff. The city appealed and eventually settled with the lucky man who lost his job to the tune of several million dollars(taxpayer money in a city that can't afford to maintain basic services).
4. In January the Detroit Free Press aquired Mr Kilpatrick's work cell phone records under the freedom of information act and combed through his text messages. It was revealed unambiguously that he did in fact have an affair with his chief of staff and perjured himself during the trial. And he knew the whole time that the affair was a matter of public record easily accertainable by the public.
This is where I come in. I have taken to going down to the gym a few times a week and walking and running on the treadmill. I like to go at 7:30 and watch Jeopardy. So I went down there and turned on Jeopardy, except it wasn't it was Mr. Kilpatrick doing the whole "sorry I'll never do it again" song and dance routine with his wife. They were on every channal, so I had to listen to him go on and on about how he's not stepping down etc. I was a little upst because to my mind he really shouldn't even be given a stage upon which to act. And they canceled the show I was going to watch. Then, they had a little segment of reactions to the speech...every black respondant said they believed him and felt sorry for him and felt like he should be given another chance. Every white respondant thought he should step down. There were also protesters marching in the street against the white people of Detroit and the media for persecuting the Mayor. It was fascinating to me. It seems like race is a bigger issue here than in Arizona. I could be wrong. Anyway...here...or in Detroit anyway...its a chasm, a huge dividing factor. Not in personal interaction as much...but certainly in cultural outlook and approach major issues. I'm not trying to imply that all blacks or all whites think alike. Just that there is a major cultural divide in this city.
5. Mr Kilpatrick is currently embroiled in a scandal concerning a topless dancer who turned up brutally murdered and is currently believed to have had several affairs in office.
6. The thing is, he seems to have done a pretty good job as mayor of Detroit...not most people's dream job. The city has seen consistent improval by all accounts under his watch.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
On not writing and difficult tests
I know that perhaps you have checked the sight a couple times since last I wrote. In fact if statistics are anything to go by you've stopped checking it entirely.
Anyway...I had a test today...and I had a test yesterday...and I had a test last week...Now I don't have anything looming for a few weeks.
So in a sign of how priority inverting curved test scores can be, I have decided that I prefer difficult tests. Especially when I don't know they're going to be difficult and they really knock you off your feet.
Here's why:
I pretty much get the same score on every test. I've only been outside the 90-95 area a couple of times when I moved up near a hundred. So when the test is really difficult the average plummets and my standard score shoots through the roof. When tests are really easy the average rises and my standard score falls.
Yesterday's test was tough. I struggled on at least a third of the questions. I couldn't see straight by the time I left. Everybody else complained about how tough it was...I smiled. Today's test left me blurry eyed too...but for a different reason. It was so boring I felt like I was going to fall asleep. There were only a handful of questions I even had doubts about. (probably missed a few because I went too fast though). Everybody else smiled as they left the room...
Anyway...I had a test today...and I had a test yesterday...and I had a test last week...Now I don't have anything looming for a few weeks.
So in a sign of how priority inverting curved test scores can be, I have decided that I prefer difficult tests. Especially when I don't know they're going to be difficult and they really knock you off your feet.
Here's why:
I pretty much get the same score on every test. I've only been outside the 90-95 area a couple of times when I moved up near a hundred. So when the test is really difficult the average plummets and my standard score shoots through the roof. When tests are really easy the average rises and my standard score falls.
Yesterday's test was tough. I struggled on at least a third of the questions. I couldn't see straight by the time I left. Everybody else complained about how tough it was...I smiled. Today's test left me blurry eyed too...but for a different reason. It was so boring I felt like I was going to fall asleep. There were only a handful of questions I even had doubts about. (probably missed a few because I went too fast though). Everybody else smiled as they left the room...
Sunday, January 06, 2008
coffee
When I got home from playing frisbee, I thought, : a cup of coffee would be good. So I started a fresh pot.
Then I changed my clothes...then I wrote the last post...then I checked my email...then I realized I needed to get some laundry done...so I started it, then I needed to take out the trash...and so on and so forth...I had a lot of things that needed doing...and I forgot about the coffee. Eventually I realized that the house smelled like coffee... by the time I drank it it had the stale, been cooking for a while taste...and I thought that is something my mother might have done.
Then I changed my clothes...then I wrote the last post...then I checked my email...then I realized I needed to get some laundry done...so I started it, then I needed to take out the trash...and so on and so forth...I had a lot of things that needed doing...and I forgot about the coffee. Eventually I realized that the house smelled like coffee... by the time I drank it it had the stale, been cooking for a while taste...and I thought that is something my mother might have done.
Snow
I like snow. I often wonder what it would be like to live in a place where snow lasts all winter.
Here it doesn't, and melting snow isn't nice.
It gets all brown and takes forever to melt.
I played ultimate frisbee today. The snow on the ground was more slush than snow. Every step sent slush spraying into the air. Parts of the field had 2-3 inches of water. It was about 50 degrees Farenheit...which felt relatively balmy...except in the wet parts. My toes are still recovering.
I used to play frisbee in several inches of water in phoenix, when they irrigated the fields...in retrospect that was gross, since the irrigation water was reclaimed.
Anyway, despite the loss of feeling in several toes, the game was fun. After playing for a while we decided to play to five and then call it quits. As time passed and defense reigned, we decided to play to three. Eventually we were reduced to "next point wins." I scored the winning point...to everyone's relief
Here it doesn't, and melting snow isn't nice.
It gets all brown and takes forever to melt.
I played ultimate frisbee today. The snow on the ground was more slush than snow. Every step sent slush spraying into the air. Parts of the field had 2-3 inches of water. It was about 50 degrees Farenheit...which felt relatively balmy...except in the wet parts. My toes are still recovering.
I used to play frisbee in several inches of water in phoenix, when they irrigated the fields...in retrospect that was gross, since the irrigation water was reclaimed.
Anyway, despite the loss of feeling in several toes, the game was fun. After playing for a while we decided to play to five and then call it quits. As time passed and defense reigned, we decided to play to three. Eventually we were reduced to "next point wins." I scored the winning point...to everyone's relief
Thursday, January 03, 2008
to Mark...thank you
Sitting here having
a nice ginger biscotti
a warm cup of joe
The temperature's stuck
at negative four or five
but coffee is good
a nice ginger biscotti
a warm cup of joe
The temperature's stuck
at negative four or five
but coffee is good
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
things you learn when you're not in school
We had a nice evening at the Raymonds tonight. Aunt Ginger made soup. Nan came over with Ursa her Swedish Moose hound
1. Ice skating is fun. especially outside. I suppose over the last fifteen years I've gotten used to ice skating being an indoor activity and forgotten how fun it can be. Needless to say, I'm not a particularly proficient. But we had fun.
The last time I was skating out of doors was March 2004 at the Rockafeller Center in New York, with Mark. That was fun.
2. Hockey is much more difficult than it appears. Getting the puck to move in the direction you wish is a challenge. Skating while attempting to do so is not recommended.
3. Homemade hot fudge is tasty. Particularly when combined with ice cream. Vanilla and chocolate...who'd have guessed.
1. Ice skating is fun. especially outside. I suppose over the last fifteen years I've gotten used to ice skating being an indoor activity and forgotten how fun it can be. Needless to say, I'm not a particularly proficient. But we had fun.
The last time I was skating out of doors was March 2004 at the Rockafeller Center in New York, with Mark. That was fun.
2. Hockey is much more difficult than it appears. Getting the puck to move in the direction you wish is a challenge. Skating while attempting to do so is not recommended.
3. Homemade hot fudge is tasty. Particularly when combined with ice cream. Vanilla and chocolate...who'd have guessed.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Deep Freeze alert
Last night all of th local news stations and internet outlets carried a deep freeze alert for the city of Tucson.
The projected temperature was 33
The projected temperature was 33
Friday, December 14, 2007
On hospitality
We're heading home tomorrow--after six months in the desert. well ok, maybe it hasn't been all that bad--it just feels that way after the tests I've had over the last few days. Talk about a brutal experience.
But it is done, 1/8 of the way there. And we're coming home. But before we do I would like to offer a word of gratitude. Our family here has reached out to us and made our time here thus far an enjoyable experience. I don't know if we could have made it without them. So if you are reading this (and you may never do so--my readership is pretty low) thank you. In particular I would like to thank Poppy and Grandma for having us over whenever we call. And Aunt Ginger and Uncle Dave, who have treated us like their fourth child and made a consistent effort to include us in everything (last weekend we had a great time going to the tree farm and picking out a tree with them, we didn't get to have one this year).
So to those of you I will see soon, I have missed you, and look forward to seeing you. and to those of you here--thank you..
But it is done, 1/8 of the way there. And we're coming home. But before we do I would like to offer a word of gratitude. Our family here has reached out to us and made our time here thus far an enjoyable experience. I don't know if we could have made it without them. So if you are reading this (and you may never do so--my readership is pretty low) thank you. In particular I would like to thank Poppy and Grandma for having us over whenever we call. And Aunt Ginger and Uncle Dave, who have treated us like their fourth child and made a consistent effort to include us in everything (last weekend we had a great time going to the tree farm and picking out a tree with them, we didn't get to have one this year).
So to those of you I will see soon, I have missed you, and look forward to seeing you. and to those of you here--thank you..
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Things I wish I could have seen
I was driving home, talking on the phone to Adrienne. She was distracted, we hung up...five minutes later she called frantic. She couldn't find her keys...I calmed her down a bit, and talked her through it. She was convinced she had thrown them out with the trash. I tried to talk her out of it, but she was insistent. She climbed into the dumpster. In the process of climbing into the dumpster she took off her jacket. When she got out, she realized that her keys were in the pocket of her sweater, and had been concealed under her jacket.
Oh how I love her...I just wish I could have seen it.
Oh how I love her...I just wish I could have seen it.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Adrienne's
rough and tumble driving style requires a high coefficient of friction--if you can't hear the squeal when you hit the brakes you weren't driving fast enough right.
she called from the corner--less than a hundred yards from the house. Slid through the stop sign.
don't worry I drove the car home--luckily there weren't any cars moving the other way.
she called from the corner--less than a hundred yards from the house. Slid through the stop sign.
don't worry I drove the car home--luckily there weren't any cars moving the other way.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Ice
lowers the coefficient of friction between rubber and asphalt...as any engineer worth his salt will tell you...salt being a handy tool for increasing said coefficient of friction...at least at certain temperatures.
Salt was also used by the Romans to lower the coefficient of fertility in the soil around Carthage.
Which brings up an interesting question....why does anything grow in this state?
Salt was also used by the Romans to lower the coefficient of fertility in the soil around Carthage.
Which brings up an interesting question....why does anything grow in this state?
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
it is finished
I am officially done with my first two classes: Gross Anatomy and Histology
My scores were 648 and 643 respectively. I'm not sure what they mean, but I think they're ok. I do know they're not percentages, but I've been told that percentages don't matter anymore. All that matters is how you do in relation to everybody else. so if you get a 90 and everybody else gets a 95 you lose...or something. Anyway, I don't know what anyone else got so I can't tell if I did well. So what I'm left with is a pair of relatively meaningless scores.
So in protest I'm going back to the good old days of just worrying about how I did. That is 93% and 95% respectively. See that looks so much better to me. It actually carries meaning. Even given that the testing system is rather arbitrary and given my ability to guess better than basically every other person in medical school, it still carries more meaning than those other numbers.
Anyway. The two new classes are Biochemistry and Physiology. To be honest...I don't have a clue what's going on in eithe one. Actually that's a lie. Physiology is interesting, and I can keep up with the professor at least half of the time on a good day. Biochemistry is a whole different beast. She's from India so she says things like methial for methyl or and jen for gene and you can forget about words like adenine and guayanine. Listening to lecture is like a guessing game.
Suffice to say that my stellar(as far as I can judge) record thus far is about to make a swirling exit
My scores were 648 and 643 respectively. I'm not sure what they mean, but I think they're ok. I do know they're not percentages, but I've been told that percentages don't matter anymore. All that matters is how you do in relation to everybody else. so if you get a 90 and everybody else gets a 95 you lose...or something. Anyway, I don't know what anyone else got so I can't tell if I did well. So what I'm left with is a pair of relatively meaningless scores.
So in protest I'm going back to the good old days of just worrying about how I did. That is 93% and 95% respectively. See that looks so much better to me. It actually carries meaning. Even given that the testing system is rather arbitrary and given my ability to guess better than basically every other person in medical school, it still carries more meaning than those other numbers.
Anyway. The two new classes are Biochemistry and Physiology. To be honest...I don't have a clue what's going on in eithe one. Actually that's a lie. Physiology is interesting, and I can keep up with the professor at least half of the time on a good day. Biochemistry is a whole different beast. She's from India so she says things like methial for methyl or and jen for gene and you can forget about words like adenine and guayanine. Listening to lecture is like a guessing game.
Suffice to say that my stellar(as far as I can judge) record thus far is about to make a swirling exit
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Christmas List
As readers of my blog may know, I'm not very good with Christmas lists.
I am sorry
On the other hand...
I am very gracious no matter what you give me...
And I will be thankful
I am sorry
On the other hand...
I am very gracious no matter what you give me...
And I will be thankful
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