sick as a dog

So I haven't been feeling all the well the last couple of days, but today it really hit hard. I think I sprained my spleen or something. Sorry to drop all this medical jargon on you, but you know, I'm just around it so much, I pretty much know how to diagnose a sprained spleen by now.

So to nerd out a bit, my good friend and former roommate Jacob informed me today that there will soon be a Star Wars game for the Wii. That's right, bitches - motion controlled lightsabers.

That is all. I've been sleeping all day, but I'm still damned tired. I desire sympathy.

And yet still an understatement

A spokeswoman for the Senator Thompson had this to say about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's proposed visit of Ground Zero in New York:

"It is an insult to the memories of those who died on 9/11 at the hands of terrorists, and those who have fought terrorism for years, to allow the president of the world's top state sponsor of terrorism to step foot at ground zero," the spokeswoman, Karen Hanretty, said. "Iran is responsible for supplying weapons and supporting extremist who are killing US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan to this very day."

This guy (click for complete story) says it better than I could - "If it happens, if this Holocaust-denying terrorist filthbag is allowed to use the remains of the Trade Center for a photo op, the rage on the right will burn so white hot that even the anti-amnesty activism this summer will pale by comparison." I would hope that partisan politics aside, the whole nation would object vehemently to this.

UPDATE: The NYPD has rejected Ahmadinejad's request to visit Ground Zero, and Mitt Romney has put in his two cents, as well: “Ahmadinejad’s shockingly audacious request should be met with a vehement no. It’s inconceivable that any consideration would be given to the idea of entertaining the leader of a state sponsor of terror at Ground Zero. This would deeply offend the sensibilities of Americans from all corners of our nation. Instead of entertaining Ahmadinejad, we should be indicting him.”

Looks like the whole visit is a no-go, even though the bastard said he just wanted to go to lay a wreath at the site.

UPDATE: Ahmadinejad is now saying that the NYPD rejecting his request will not deter him from visiting Ground Zero. Should be interesting to see what happens with this one.

So many thumbs up, you'd think it was rain...

I don't really seem to have anything interesting to talk about lately, so I 'm going to keep going with the safe bet. Here's a very special thumbs up to a young man who's managed to make himself a minor celebrity amongst his d-bag peers. Check the link to see the full video of how this guy managed to get himself tasered during a John Kerry speech. He clearly wanted to cause trouble, and he clearly wanted to get everyone talking about it (note how he announces everything that happens to him as it happens - it reminds me of Will Ferrell in the Austin Powers movies, "Oh, you shot me! Right in the arm!"). As it turns out, this d-bag has a history of "punks" (cross-reference Aston Kutcher for both "punk'd" and "d-bag"), so there is speculation that this guy was trying something like that and it "got out of hand." So, wherever you stand on this issue - whether he should have been tasered is certainly debatable - I would like to extend a heartfelt thumbs up to this gentleman for doing something I've never had the guts to do...get tasered. I changed my mind just now. I was going to let the audience (both of you) decide on this one, but it should be known that I think this guy got what he deserved. He pushed his way to the front of the line to ask a purposefully inflammatory series of questions (not seen in this clip, but confirmed by witnesses) and then refused to leave when asked by the police. He flailed his arms and screamed, trying to make a scene, and he didn't comply after they warned him that he was going to be tased. He got what he was looking for. So for that, I say, "thumbs up on that one, d-bag."

One other thumbs up, and this one I really will leave for you people to decide. This one goes to future Mrs (?) President Hillary R. Clinton (and in a way to the new First Lady too) for not condemning Moveon.org's slander of Gen. Patraeus. Pretty interesting that she wouldn't, given the fact that lots of people are pissed off about it (and her history of being on both side of the war debate [ie she voted for it]). Hmmm, I wonder why the Clintons might not want to go against Moveon.org... Are they connected somehow? Anyways, "Thumbs up on that. And more importantly, thumbs up on always, as a rule, associating yourself with honest, upright people." For those lacking the time or interest to make the jump, I'm referring specifically to Norman Hsu. Sorry, I didn't mean to get all political on your asses.

Oh, and check this guy out. I'd guess he's just as excited as you are (maybe a little bit more) that they're going to make a sequel to "Tron."

Thumbs Up Special, vol. 1

I excite.

So I went to watch my cousin cheer at a football game tonight. It's been a long time since I've been to a high school football game - it definitely brought back some memories. Except my cousin's school is terrible, and mine wasn't. I guess they've been been hugely dominant for years, but they have a terrible class this year, so they're getting their butts kicked. They won tonight, but it was a pretty painful thing to watch. They are a 4A school, and since I've never seen anything but a 6A football game, I was pretty surprised by how slow everything moved and how small everyone was.

At any rate, I'm pretty tired so I'm going to get right to the point; this post will be the first in what might end up being a long line of "thumbs up specials." The idea is, when someone I know or have heard of messes up, I'm going to hilariously skewer them by calling them out and saying (wryly) "thumbs up on that one!" I'm also hopeful that each time I post a "thumbs up special," I'll remember to point it out by posting a picture of people looking ridiculous while giving the thumbs up sign. That way, when my readers are pressed for time, they can quickly see that there is something really worth reading this time, rather than the usual boring crap.

So, without further ado, I give you the first "thumbs up special." As you may have guessed, this one goes to our good friend, that murdering bastard, OJ "the Juice" Simpson. Not only did he participate ("allegedly") in armed robbery, he also admitted his involvement to police, and had the balls to tell the media that he was taking part in a police sting (get it?) operation to recover stolen goods. What a douche. The only positive to this (other than that he might do prison time) is that him being back in the news will give a huge boost to the sales of his new (ridiculously tasteless) book, the profits of which will go to the families of his victims. So, in honor of the Juice thinking that his charm and charisma will enough to outweigh a confession, I say, "wow, thumbs up on that one, killer." BTW, I heard tonight that the maximum sentence for armed robbery in Washington D.C. is life in prison, while in California the max is 15 years. I found that to be amusing.

Since this is the inaugural run of this special, I've brought with me an extra case. This next "thumbs up" goes to Bill Belichick, head coach of the New England Patriots (America's team). He's a cheater. Click here to read more. "Wow, loosing either one or two draft picks and getting fined a crap-ton of money for breaking explicit league rules (there's not much interpretation to be done there, Billy boy) all for information that you yourself admit didn't help at all - thumbs up on that one, cheater." I've included a second picture in an effort to keep the thumbs up selections/ pictures on a tit-for-tat basis.

One last bit, my brother sent me a link to this music video, which is pretty sweet. The band Familjen took footage from an old revival and edited it so it looks like the preacher is singing the lyrics. And old ladies clap.

Football brings out the best in blue collar fans

This is way too good not to read. Not only is the story totally ridiculous, but Okies everywhere should be proud to be represented in such a positive light. Plus, it's not often you get to read the word "malarkey." Also, note that the OU fan who "nearly castrated" his opponent is 53 years old. He's a huge fan, though. Kind of like this guy.

more disappointment

So I was looking forward all week to watching the Chiefs play today - I had been promised that the Chiefs games are shown here in Idaho, but as it turns out, I had to check direct TV - they had it, but (and I'm still not sure why) it was $40 to watch that one game. I couldn't believe it. They got dominated today anyway, but I was still disappointed. And, I got an email today from my brother saying that he has tickets to see one of the world's best bands. They never tour the US at all, let alone come to KC, so of course, the one time I'm not there, they come. Unbelievable.

Tomorrow my uncle is doing another nurse's lecture - this one on ulnar nerve entrapment. I'm going to the first part of that, then rush off to class, then back to clinic and then I'm going to observe a surgery to remove an acoustic tumor. Should be pretty sweet.

Oh, and I just finished Hunters of Dune. It's a pretty good book, but it's all clearly leading up to the next one. I've got lots of things to be doing, but I'm pretty sure that I'm going to pick the book one up in the next few days, just to finish the series. That's pretty much it. Oh, and I recently watched blades of glory again. Hence the picture.

yet another disappointment...

Please allow me to geek out for a moment here - I just beat the newest Metroid game. It was great, but way too easy and way too short (I beat it in only 13.5 hours). I guess the anticipation made it impossible for the game to live up to my expectations, but I don't deal well with disappointment. It makes me want to...kill. Or actually just write a strongly worded letter. More that. Oh well.

So I had another day at the clinic yesterday, and it was a long one. My uncle has been sick for a few days, so they had to reschedule a bunch of people to yesterday. It's always interesting how much information you can get from a patient the second you set eyes on them. One lady was obviously in serious pain (she was pacing the exam room when we opened the door), and even I could tell immediately that she was having radicular pain down the right side (probably C6 or C7, judging by the way she was cradling her right arm) - it just really shows you how important basic observation skills are in conjunction with a little bit of practical knowledge. This lady was also interesting in that she was perhaps the most aloof of any patient I've met so far. Some people are ecstatic when they hear that they are going to have surgery - they are relieved to know not only that their pain is real, and has a name, but also that there is something that can be done about it. Others, like this lady, are just so scared by the prospect of surgery that they need a little time to work through it. Often, it seems, these people are the ones who have only recently started to experience their symptoms, unlike the people who endure them for a long time, and then finally decide to do something about it. I've heard the spiel so many times by now that I can watch the patients intently as the surgery is explained to them. I've already learned so much about the nuts and bolts of the exams and such that now I'm less confused by everything, and am able to focus more on the patients and how the are feeling throughout the process. It's really rewarding, but also pretty heart-wrenching at times. A wonderful old lady came in yesterday, just about 81 years old, and she had a lot going wrong with her. She knew as well as we did that there was really nothing that could be done to help her back pain because she had too many other problems going on. She just wanted to hear it from a doctor she had known for a long time and trusted. It wasn't long before she was crying tears of frustration, and we all couldn't help but get choked up. My uncle did a great job of trying to making her laugh, and I (like a putz) awkwardly offered her a tissue. She's a great old lady, and she's got a lot of fight in her yet. And she can still definitely light up a room with her smile.

In slightly less depressing new, I went to Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding areas over Labor Day weekend. I'll try to get some pictures posted in the next few days - hopefully some of the many pictures we took of the Grand Tetons will turn out. Really spectacular stuff. I had no idea all of that was even there, and I'm really grateful to have been able to see it. Plus, my uncle and I had some pretty deep conversations throughout, which was good.

BTW, my mom sent me this, and I watched it with my aunt this morning - we were both in tears from laughing so hard. Richard Simmons is a spook, and the Who's Line is it, Anyway? guys are amazingly good sports. Good for a laugh, if an uncomfortable one.

Oh, and I think the Chiefs play this weekend, meaning that at long last, football has returned.