BOOO!

Happy Halloween, the second dumbest "holiday" of the year! The real reason for this post, though, is to bring you another installment of the "thumbs up special."
This one goes to Eddie Van Halen for the astoundingly bad performance you can watch below. This doesn't really rate just because it's a terrible performance, but because Ed clearly knows that his guitar is badly out of tune (sources say that he hit the guitar on a speaker before the song) and he refuses to do anything about it. Apparently he's kind of a jerk a lot of the time, and people are saying that he finished the song out of spite "to teach his guitar tech a lesson," but either way he's a ass. He could have taken 15 seconds to switch guitars and salvage a song which, while terrible, people in the audience paid a lot of money to hear. For that I say, "Way to go Ed - you're a dick. Thumbs up on a great performance!" In all fairness, though, my dad got free tickets to see Van Halen at the new Sprint Center in KC, and he was impressed that the old coots could still play.

Lots of news

So I had another day with Dr. Eck, the family practice doc today. It was pretty sweet - I met some nice people, had some one-on-one time with a few patients, etc. I really like the feel of the whole thing, especially getting to spend some time getting to know the patients. For instance, I heard a 64 year old guy tell a story about how a few weeks ago, while on a fishing trip in Mexico, the boat he was on sank and he was stranded for two hours in shark-infested water. He told the whole story in such a matter-of-fact way that I couldn't help but laugh, especially when he told us about all of the other near-death experiences he's had - motorcycle crashes, falls off of buildings, etc. pretty crazy stuff. So anyway, I'm with Dr. Eck again next Friday, and he's going to eventually let me start taking patient histories and other cool stuff.

I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon carving pumpkins with the fam, and let me tell you, I'm not so good at it. I got better as the afternoon progressed, but it wasn't great by any stretch of the imagination. Here's a picture so you can see how bad I am.

In other news, I have at long last rounded up the final letter of recommendation I have been waiting (a very long time) on. So, I'm finally done with application crap. I just hope that the fact that all of my stuff has been in for months, and the only thing that they've been waiting on is the letters of rec. They probably don't care.

One final note, I've decided to start exercising more. Not just lifting weights (I'm learning that there is such a thing as too huge), but more cardio. I hope to lose my paunch (granted, that picture of me was taken a few years ago) and gain some energy. I'll keep both of you posted.

Why don't you take a seat...

So I spent the better part of last night watching a"To Catch a Predator" marathon with my cousin, Molly (no, it's not what you're thinking, this show has significantly less green blood). If you have never seen the South Park episode where Cartman pretends to have Turrets, you should click here and watch it - not only is it hilarious in it's own right, but they do a spot-on spoof of To Catch a Predator that will change the way you watch the show forever. TCAP is a depressing, disgusting, uncomfortable show (though if it discourages even one predator from abusing a child, then it has served it's purpose), but Chris Hansen is truly hilarious.

In other news, I had my first day observing my family practice doctor on Friday. It went really well, and was very interesting; needless to say, this was a very different atmosphere than in my uncle's neurosurgery clinic. Dr. Eck, the doc I followed around, is great - he's very personable and caring, and he's also very intelligent and a great doctor. Apparently, my aunt and uncle sat next to the Ecks at a charity ball last night (doesn't that sound old-timey and magical?) and Dr. Eck said that it was "great having [me] around," that he "really enjoyed it," but that I'm "too polite for his office." I'm not really sure what that last part means, but I guess it's better than the alternative. Anyway, I am with Dr. Eck tomorrow again, and then off until a week from Friday. Should be sweet. Oh, but I have to dress "biz cas," whatever that means - he seems to always wear polo shirts, does that mean I can?

I'm finally done with my medicine, so unfortunately, I must say goodbye to my hyper-keen sense of smell. I'm giving it a send-off today by playing in the garbage and hanging out in the back yard where the dogs always poop.

I want to dance, dance in the morning

So, I really think that I was just born in the wrong era. I really belong in a time when this kind of thing is acceptable, because this is amazing. But I really don't think I'd be able to pull this off in this day and age, though I'm tempted to go to a store and find out. Also of note is that this seems to be Borat's first appearance (you can see him briefly about 30 seconds in, but he's really featured about half-way through), though Sascha Baron Cohen was probably about 5 when this came out.

Also, I recently watched a short clip of a live Dave Matthews band video, and it made me sad to think about how bad they are now. They were the reason I started playing the drums and the guitar, but sadly, they now only inspire me not to spend $50 bucks to go to each of their concerts. The picture below is in honor of a now-dead dream of mine.

Ummm...

I just happened across this picture and was confused enough to passit on to you people. It's from a blog called "animals as friends" which is, unfortunately, not as awkward as either this picture or the name implies.

I got to watch another deep brain stimulation surgery today. Actually two; I saw a phase two DBS surgery - which is the second procedure during which they tunnel the wires from the electrode down to the impulse generator implanted in the chest - and then a phase one for Parkinson's where they implanted the electrodes. Pretty amazing stuff, though as you might imagine, the tunneling for phase two is pretty brutal. Not a lot of finesse involved, but there's just not a better way of doing it yet.

Another nerd moment...

So I just came across an article about the search for gravity waves (let me just push my glasses up my nose right quick), and while it is interesting to hear about the new techniques/technologies, that's not really what caught my interest the most. If you read carefully, you'll see that they put a rather alien object in everyday terms in a cool way; they said that a sugar-cube sized sample of a pulsar would weigh as much as the entire human race.

In other news, I just set a schedule with my doctor to follow him around every other Monday and Friday at his clinic. Should be pretty sweet, but I still haven't gotten over the fact that he's seen me naked. Awkward. Oh, and I've learned to use my hyper-keen sense of smell as a lie detector. I'm the human polygraph, so don't mess with me.

Smells like asparagus

So I went to the free clinic today - it was pretty cool. But what I really want to talk about is my hyper-keen sense of smell as a result of my prescription. I totally feel like wolverine or something; I can smell people before they enter a room, I can smell food from a mile away and (most importantly) I can smell people's body odor as if they've somehow collected it, concentrated it and sprayed it directly into my nose without my knowing. It's really great.

For those who might care, Tool is coming to Nampa here (just outside of Boise) in the first part of December, and I'm happy to say that I scored some tickets (meaning my cousin did it for me) for my cousin, my uncled Don and myself. Should be pretty sweet.

Now, if you will excuse me, I smell dinner.

Yummy...

So my doctor put me on this medicine to try and address my lingering "China Syndrome." It's pretty awesome - it basically makes you feel really nauseous, makes your mouth taste sharply metallic (like you just woke up after a long night's sleep with a piece of aluminum foil in your mouth - all day), makes you irritable and makes your sense of smell really hyper-sensitive. The last one is new to me (I was on this medication a year or so ago, and I didn't experience it then), and it's pretty... interesting. Some smells are good and some are really, really bad. Like dog poop. And dog pee-pee. And most people. The timing on this is really great, because tomorrow is my first day volunteering at a free clinic in Nampa. Let's just say I'm anticipating some fairly pungent aromas. Oh, and in case you didn't notice, I'm also expecting some sympathy from all of you out there.

Here's a quick thumbs up for the people - this one goes to everyone who is really upset about the fact that Stephen Colbert is violating campaign finance laws in his "bid for the presidency." I'm not even going to try to be clever on this one, so here it is: "People, pull your heads out of your asses. He's a satirist (who used to be funny). Get over it." Btw, if you want to get all upset about campaign financing, I can point you in the right direction...

Btw2, Dumbledore is gay. Tell your kids.

It's Hammertime

Watch this before story-time below to get the full effect. Or better yet, hit play and read the following post with the music playing.

T.J. Hammer

So, my uncle got hit in the head with a hammer, and in a weird way, he did it to himself. I've provided the following pictures to describe the sequence of events. Click to enlarge (slightly).
In this first picture, you can see my uncle working with a ladder in the back yard. I'm in the middle carrying some jam in from the garage. See if you can find the hammer.
Here you can clearly see the jam I'm carrying. I wasn't wearing a shirt at the time, as you can also clearly see. Unbeknownst to me, my uncle has attempted to move the ladder, causing the hammer to dislodge from its perch. This is, however...knownst to my uncle, though there is little he can do about it.
In this final frame, you can see what has happened - I have inadvertently dropped the jam. And my uncle got hit in the head with a hammer from about 15 feet. He actually didn't cry out at all (and I actually didn't drop the jam), he just said, "Uh, Brett? I think I'm hurt here..." and I ran to grab the ladder (not pictured). He put a towel on it, and I looked to see if he would need stitches, then after the bleeding had mostly subsided, he went back out to finish the project. His biggest concern was not letting my aunt find out what had happened. I didn't laugh until well after I was sure he was ok, though I think I did laugh before he did, which is in poor taste. Apparently the next day he started bleeding while ordering at a restaurant, which freaked the waitress out a bit.

Ted Turner is Crazy

So I came across this a few days ago, and at first I was kind of pissed about some of the things he says. But now, I've settled down and realized that Ted Turner is pretty much crazy. Here's proof. Of particular interest is about halfway down the synopsis where he starts to talk about how he doesn't mind Iran and other nations of concern have nuclear weapons because they have so few of them compared to how many the US has. Granted, disarmament is a reasonable issue worthy of debate, but to say that he's more worried of our arsenal than having Iran and North Korea in possession of nuclear weapons is... well, draw your own conclusions.

Btw, as I am writing this, the Johans' Ukrainian cleaning lady is vacuuming all around me. She's all up in my bidness (wait, that's not meant to be racist...I may remove that if I decide it's indecent). She's also been involved in a plot to make me think I'm crazy - each time she comes, apparently she steals one of my shirts and hides it. I used to think that I was just irresponsible, but then I found the stash - 15 shirts crammed into a tiny little table with a tiny little cabinet below it that I've never touched in my life. So I'm not crazy...maybe crazy mad.

awesome

So, Idaho is great and all, but I'm pretty frustrated with the sports situation. Today, instead of show NFL football all day, as Sunday is supposed to be, NBC is showing bull riding. Yee-haw. Awesome. Piss. Oh well, I guess that gives me more time today to... not watch football.

btw

I'm not really having technical difficulties, but the picture amused me, and I can remember seeing this episode of the Simpsons many years ago. Anyways, I just changed the settings so now anyone can comment - I think this means that you don't have to sign in to do so anymore. That should save everyone some time for when you are all clamoring to be the first to comment on the latest hilarious/truly thought-provoking post.

At least she's got some dance moves...

It's kind of hard to tell because of his tiny hands, but Kenny Baker is ushering in a new era for the Thumbs Up Special - Video! (hopefully). So without further ado, I give you this travesty:



Now, in this poor girl's defense, surely there was some sort of malfunction of the tape (8 track?) player which caused the recording to speed up and change key...surely. But this thumbs up actually goes to anyone and everyone, family, friends, etc., who saw this poor girl prepare this routine for months and then subsequently let her do it on TV. Shame on them - I can tell you from experience that it's easy to get a terrible idea, think it's great and want to go through with it. It is the responsibility of those around you to weigh the possible outcomes and decide if they should let you proceed with what will likely be a humbling experience, or to save you from a lifetime of embarrassment like this girl (now woman) has to suffer through. Even without considering the obscene "music" of this performance, nobody with a soul would have let their daughter/sister/friend hop around stage like that. For that I say, "Thumbs up on that family/friends of that girl - was it worth it?"

Goracle finally recognized

I suppose this could kind of be a bit of a thumbs up to the Noble Committee... either way, I just want to pass on my sincerest of congratulations to the "Redeemer of all Mankind" Albert Gore. This article is pretty interesting, if you've a moment to read, but suffice it to say that Gore has joined some amazingly great company. And, like several of his new comrades, he has done little to directly bring peace to the world (though indirectly, the case could be made [and is in the linked article] that slowing the depletion of natural resources could help to prevent war). BTW, I really hope Goracle runs for president. I just think it would be amazing if he got the nomination over Hillary. I would laugh and laugh.

In vastly more important news, KU has canceled my email account (bastards), so my new email is bebeling18@gmail.com. I trust that both of my readers are responsible enough not to give this to anyone who would abuse it, and to give it to any hot ladies they might know who are interested in an average looking, somewhat self-centered guy.

Back in the Saddle

I'm back, and I'm ready to go. It's been a while since an honest-to-goodness post, but unfortunately this one isn't going to be all that great.

So my aunt and uncle had an Oktoberfest party a while back, and I got to eat sausages and drink beer. It was great until my new doctor showed up (I just went to him a few weeks ago, and will see him again next week- so he's new to me, not new to medicine); let's just say that it had been a long time since anyone had seen me naked, and I wasn't really ready to see him in a social setting. Granted, he was very gentle - I mean he tried to make me feel very comfortable... you get the idea. It was a bit awkward at the party, but he went out of his way to make me feel comfortable. He's a super nice guy, and he's pretty much exactly the kind of doctor I want to be.
In other news, I had dinner with my friend Alek last night, which is weird because he lives in Baltimore. He's working in Boise until about the end of the month, so I now have a friend for a short period of time.

Finally, I'm going to be mostly done with application crap for medical school tomorrow, with the exception of the gosh-darned (edited) letters of recommendation. I am frankly pretty shocked and appalled at how difficult and nerve-wracking it has been to get those freaking (edited) letters dealt with. Some of the people have really great reasons for having taken a while, but others have absolutely no excuse. And I'm pissed. In fact, I'm actually just so tired of it, that I've brought in my friend Bruce Willis to be pissed for me. I like that not only is he clearly quite angry, he also looks like he's willing to do something about it. This is in stark contrast to my situation in which my only real recourse is to send lots of sniveling emails and voicemails saying bullshit like "Thanks so much for sending that letter, I just wanted to check and see if maybe it got lost in the mail." WTF. I just wish people were responsible, and capable of pulling their heads out of their own asses once in a while. So, apparently this turned rather quickly into a rant; that was not my original intent. Apologies.

So it's been a bit of a while...

I've been pretty busy the last week or so with applications, homework, etc. But, I just came across something that is worth sharing. These people built an X-wing model (from Star Wars) that will be launched using solid rocket motors. They even added electric motors to "lock S-foils into attack position." I know what I'm doing over the winter. There's probably going to be another dry spell on the blog here for the next week or so. Try to remain calm. Don't lose hope. I'll be back in full swing before you know it. I decided to include the face of someone you would trust in this post so you would believe me. Chuck Norris would never lie to you. And he'll keep you safe at night. Unless you look him in the eye.