This Will Probably Rock Your Face Off

The Next Phase

2009-08-03T21:17:00.004-06:00

Well, it's been some time since my last post, and this one will no doubt fail to make up for that. So, I won't even try. I'm just putting the final touches on my first day of medical school (the picture above is my mom and me after the white coat ceremony), so this seemed like an appropriate time to make a short post. We had a week and a half of orientation preceding today to get us ready, and I think pretty much all of us were ready to get going after all of that. It was important stuff, but you can only absorb so much advice until you just need to jump in and make it happen.

I will relate one quick story about the orientation - one of the days was devoted to a community service project which we signed up for online a few weeks before. I signed up to paint and otherwise refurbish a Red Cross office, but the day before, my group got an email saying that the air conditioning had broken. For our safety, they provided an alternative to suffering through the stifling heat: we would be going door to door installing free smoke alarms in peoples' homes in Kansas City Kansas. My mom, who works in the area, later told me that a woman had been stabbed to death in her apartment literally one block from where we were just two days before we were there. It went off without incident, but I was very uncomfortable. I definitely feel like we made a small difference - we installed 15 smoke detectors in 4 different homes and handed out several others. And, there was one house that had a bunch of small kids living in it that actually had several smoke detectors, but not one of them had batteries. Not even old batteries, just none at all. So, hopefully we made a difference in an area that has a whole lot of house fires every month.

I think that's about all I can muster after a long day of class and studying. More to come in the following days, I just wanted to get the ball rolling again. Here, enjoy Beck at his finest.

Star Wars

2009-01-17T00:12:00.003-07:00

This has been making it's way around the interweb the last few days, but I figured I'd post it here in case the 2 people who might read this blog haven't seen it yet. Very funny, original, well-worth 3 minutes and 43 seconds of your time (and keep your eyes peeled for the funniest use of a physics equation ever [which isn't that hard, now that I think about it]). Here's the description they provide on Fishrockit.com- "My friend Amanda had never seen a whole Star Wars film. When I asked her if she would watch the original trilogy with me she said that she would, but that she already knows what happens. So I took out my voice recorder and asked her to start from the top. I then created some very basic animation in Final Cut to go along with her narration. The end product is what you see below:"

Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

Merry Christmas/100th Post

2008-12-24T12:10:00.002-07:00

Batman Has Sad Christmases
from thehighdefinite.com

Hooray! We've now been rocking your face off for an unprecedented 100 posts! Unprecedented in the history of ever. None of this would be possible without you, the loyal readership, so pat yourselves on the back. From the beginning, way back in August of 2007, we've grown by leaps and bounds, providing nothing but the best drivel and low-brow commentary. In honor of this momentous occasion, I've decided to stay the course (if it ain't broke, don't fix it, and literally tens of hits over the past year and a half don't lie) and make a post just like all the others. Only longer. Enjoy.

First off, a very special treat - you may have seen this, but Drunk Jeff Goldblum is well worth a second look. Videogum was kind enough to compile a list of the 8 Best, so check them out, but here is the original.

Here's a nice post from Hotair.com entitled "Scientists Scoff at AP Global Warming Story." It pretty much sums up what's wrong with the current state of global warming propaganda-alarmism and how it's being used to drive policy. Even if you don't agree with me, you should still read this and make up your own mind about how facts are being manipulated.

And here's a nice little piece on Mr. Obama's pick as his science adviser, proving that you don't need to know science to talk about science. And in case you're wondering, yes, I do know science.

On a lighter note, here's a great blog called Club Trillion - while it is indirectly basketball-related (he very rarely talks about basketball), it is very well written and quite funny. I won't go into his whole story or the meaning of the blog's name, but do yourself a favor and check it out.

If you're having trouble remembering the reason for the season, watch this Aqua Teen Hunger Force episode, the Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past. It's a high-quality episode of a hit-or-miss series. Prepare to be heart-warmed.

Here's Videogum.com's list of the 8 worst people of 2008. It's pretty right-on.

Finally, I figured we should end this post the way we started, so here are the 15 Weirdest Jeff Goldblum moments courtesy of Screenjunkies.com. Merry Christmas. Be good to people and don't drink and drive.

Videogum.com

2008-12-13T12:39:00.002-07:00

Just a quick heads-up for anyone not aware of this website already, and looking to waste a little time: Videogum.com is a funny, well-written website with a little something for everybody. Here's a taste: I just read a post entitled "Children Have Trouble Cutting Bread the Darndest Things," which I think is an amazing title, especially since the post consisted almost exclusively of the video found below.

Not all of the posts are this ridiculous, but this is a website well worth an occasional visit. I liked this post entitled, "Seth MacFarlane is Not Even the Smartest Person in the Jail Where He Belongs." It's a reaction to Entertainment Weekly's list of the 25 Smartest People in TV, and I couldn't agree more - although he is at least smart enough to stick to his formula which exploits the public's desire for simple, lowest common denominator "humor."

Lastly, here's a great article by Charles Krauthammer about the future of America and what to make of President-elect Obama's appointments. And here's a thoughtful article from the National Journal about GM's past and possible future and how a bailout of the auto industry (excuse me, Automotive Bride Loan) would help/hurt. I'm on the fence. Fortunately, nobody seems to care what people like me think.

Hacks

2008-12-08T16:29:00.004-07:00

Here's something that's been around for a while, but it was new to me, so what the heck. Joe Satriani has filed a lawsuit alleging that Coldplay ripped off his work in writing "Viva la Vida." In my opinion, there are far too many similarities (not just key, chord progression and melody, but also intervals from later in the Satriani solo that come up later in the "new" song) to deny, but I don't know anything about copyright law. Having a fairly strong background in music and composition, though, I can tell you that I absolutely believe that Coldplay ripped this off. Pretty disappointing - give this video a watch and make up your own mind.

UPDATE - video fixed 12/25/08

Food Overdose

2008-12-03T13:46:00.004-07:00

tiricosuave.com - go there

Well, Thanksgiving went off without a hitch - we were graced with the presence of family and friends and copious amounts of food. I really think I've eaten more in the last week (our Thanksgiving feedings last at least a week) than in the entire last month.

In light of the holidays, I give you this retelling of "A Christmas Story," which uses Plaxico Burress as the main character (from tiricosuave.com, a great sports-related website). It's really funny, with some high-quality photoshop work.

Lastly, here's an article that nobody seems to want to read called "Eight Facts that Burnish Bush's Record." As I think I've stated in the past, I'm not a huge fan of President Bush and many of his policies, but the "Bush derangement syndrome" is very real. He has made many mistakes, but the current trend of blaming absolutely everything on Bush is ridiculous.

Some Cool Stuff

2008-11-24T15:57:00.003-07:00

I just came across this list of "Top Ten Amazing Biology Videos" over on Wired.com - it's definitely worth checking out. I've taken the liberty of including the most bizarre one below. It's a Spanish music video about the heart, and it's pretty funny. A few of these videos are sort of genetics-related jokes, which you may or may not need to be a biology nerd to find humorous, but I like them so whatever. On a somewhat-related note, at the bottom is one of my favorite music videos from Familjen. My brother found it a while back and it's awesome. Hopefully, it'll get your toe a-tappin'.

A Couple of Things

2008-11-21T14:43:00.003-07:00

Here are a few things that have caught my fancy over the past few days. First, a few examples of the contested congressional ballots up in MN. No real analysis, other than that people who are too stupid to read simple directions shouldn't be surprised when their votes aren't counted. Next, a quick little article about a discovery that could possibly eventually provide direct evidence for the existence of dark matter - potentially game-changing stuff, but still very early. Lastly, I give you (once again by way of Filmdrunk.com) the greatest interview ever. JCVD is a true icon, and truly bizarre. One final note: I am deeply saddened that this season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has come to an end. If you missed the finale, you really need to watch it; I laughed as hard as I've laughed in a long time. I'll try to keep you posted as to when it makes it's way to Hulu. Until then, I give you... van Dame. He's like poetry in motion.

A Couple of Things

2008-11-19T13:07:00.002-07:00

First things first - This is something that I wasn't sure I would post, but ultimately decided to let my (millions of) readers decide for themselves. This is the "How Obama Got Elected" video by John Ziegler. On the surface, it's sour grapes, pure and simple. But I think it's interesting and worth a watch for entertainment value (for conservatives) and also as a commentary on just how much impact the media has on everyday people. Of course, not everyone is this uninformed, and this video implies that all Obama voters were - which is not at all the case. But read this to see the numbers from the Zogby poll which was conducted in conjunction with this video, and also read this to see how he refuted the criticism he has received. Their commentary on this video is far better than anything I can muster - just keep in mind, I've not posted this to mock Obama voters. Again, I see it as proof of the media's bias.

Now, I'm not the hugest Romney fan (I'm down to about 185 now), but I have to say that I agree with him on the auto bailout. Here he is on MSNBC talking about it.

Now, I'm certainly no expert on this, but it seems pretty obvious to me that just about everyone who is for this new bailout is talking about it as what it is - another short-term band-aid. With a government-aided bankruptcy, the auto industry could restructure the way it has needed to for years, and find a way to be profitable and competitive again. Plus, allowing them to go through this (admittedly very painful) restructuring keeps free market, capitalistic ideals in place and refrains from truly opening the bail-out floodgates.

And finally, some lighter fare - do yourself a favor and check out these headshots (plus descriptions). Really funny stuff. I found this over on Filmdrunk.com. If you've never been, go there. Here's a taste.

Star Trek

2008-11-18T22:13:00.003-07:00

In case you haven't heard, the new Star Trek trailer is out. I saw it the other day when I went to see the new Bond movie, and now that it's online, I have spent the obligatory 15 minutes poring over it frame-by-frame. I would encourage you to watch it (go here for the official, high-quality goodness). I've got to say, I'm pretty pumped about this. It certainly looks like a special-effects extravaganza. A special-effextravaganza, if you will. Some of it even looks special-extraordinary. I just hope the effects are used special-effectively to service the plot, and not just for special-effect. At any rate, it's a very well put-together trailer, which I very much respect. I've always been a big fan of well constructed trailers (one of my favorites is the teaser trailer for Superman Returns [higher quality here - just scroll down], which brings me to my next point.

When my friends and I were at the theater (inside the lobby, after having our tickets taken), we were greeted by a slick guy who asked us, "Do you like movies?" Unsure of what was happening, we said that yes, we do in fact like movies, and he proceeded to invite us to some sort of focus group thing where they would supposedly screen several movie trailers and then get our input, and pay us $75. He gave us each a piece of paper with the details, and on the back of each, he scrawled his name (John) and his personal number. I asked who was putting the thing on and he replied (somewhat coyly), "A major movie studio." Sounded too good to be true, but we took the papers and left. Unfortunately, none of us were able to make it to the shindig; I really would have liked to have seen what it was all about (and I looked up the agency who was doing the research - they were reputable). The thing that kind of gave us a bad feeling about it, though, was that not only did John give us his personal number, but he also said (in a way that made it seem like it had slipped out) that the group was all male. Now, that surely was just the demographic that they were looking for, but to aid in your understanding of the situation, I've produced the following picture of my recollection of John. [ Please note that as my lame-ass brother has yet to provide me with Photoshop, I had to use a crappy online drawing program. So this is far below my usual level of artistry.] I guess I will always have to look back on this time with the bittersweet sorrow of missed opportunities. Or maybe the address on the sheet would have taken me to John's personal cabin out in the woods... (click the picture to enlarge and enhance the quality [image quality, not artistic quality])

Bond

2008-11-14T22:49:00.003-07:00

First things first - I had a lovely afternoon/evening with some friends which included a viewing of the new Bond movie, "Quantum of Solace." It was a very solid movie, with a great deal of action to enjoy, though it was a bit convoluted at times. I definitely like Daniel Craig as Bond, and I really think that his performance did a lot to carry the movie.

Now for the real business - I've had these links ready to go, cluttering my browser for the last few days, and now it's time to post them. First, a couple of posts about the recount debacle up in MN. Pretty unbelievable stuff going on up there (especially since it was Al Franken who complained the most when GW Bush "stole" the election in '04; now that seems to be exactly what he's trying to do). Here's Megyn Kelly (who's amazing, but terrifyingly intimidating) interviewing Gov. Pawlenty about the whole mess. And here's a nice bit about exactly how Franken is trying to steal this election - by lying about 80 year-old stroke victims. Finally, here's Glenn Beck with a good breakdown of the numbers for all of the squirelly goings on up there.

Next, something truly unbelievable. Apparently, the FEC is planning to audit McCain's campaign (which is standard practice for campaigns which utilize the $84 million public grant), but not Obama's, in part, "...because the sheer volume of cash he raised and spent minimizes the significance of his errors." So, in spite of all of the irregularities in the fundraising, and the campaign's refusal to name the small donors, the Obama campaign will not be audited essentially because Mr. Obama went back on his word when he decided not to take the public funds. This is not sour grapes, for the record - it just doesn't make any sense to me.

And finally, in an attempt to end on a positive note, here are the guys from "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" learning how to "speak British." Enjoy.

In Case You Missed It

2008-11-07T22:15:00.004-07:00

If you don't watch It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, shame on you. It's easily the funniest show on TV these days (which isn't that hard), and well worth your time. Here's a clip to whet your whistle until next Thursday at 9pm Central. In it, Dee is trying to realize her dream of becoming an actor by paying her dues as a stand-up comic. By the way, Hulu.com is amazing.

Also, enjoy this clip.

Fava Beans and a Nice Chianti

2008-11-07T11:08:00.003-07:00

In case you haven't met my dad, he's huge. He also played football in college (at Tulsa University), and as a result of that and his various other (mis)adventures, he has had some ankle trouble. They are basically the size of grapefruits. So, a few days ago, he had one of them operated on. He's doing fine; still in some pain, but he's able to moderate the use of painkillers now to the point where he's lucid. What's really noteworthy here is that the surgeon let him keep all of the crap that he removed from the joint. Before you look at the pictures below, do a couple of things - first, make sure you aren't eating; and second, look down at your own ankle to get a feel for the approximate size of the joint, paying special attention to how much bone you think could be removed and still have a functional joint. Now, here are the pictures, served on a salad plate with a fork for reference. (Click to enlarge. You know you want to.)

The second image (with the lovely garnish, supplied by my twisted mom), was taken by my brother. It should be noted that we are, for the first time in history, using a team-coverage tactic for this story. Check out his work here, and leave a nasty comment for him about how much better my blog is. In case you're wondering, most of the material that was removed from my dad's ankle is bone spur, which has been accumulating in the joint for many years. So that's that - I will take a picture of his ankle after the bandages are removed to show how slim and sexy it is now. Until then, I will follow my brother's lead and provide the following palate-cleansing picture. Enjoy.

Bummer

2008-11-05T15:33:00.004-07:00

I just heard that Michael Crichton passed away, and I've got to say, this is really a tremendous loss. He was one of the most brilliant and prolific writers of our time, and his work has a special place in my heart. As a kid, I probably read Jurassic Park 10 times in 4 years, and I've seen the movie at least as many times, and several of his other books are also in my top 20. What a bummer.

The People Have Spoken

2008-11-05T15:15:00.003-07:00

Congratulations to all who voted, and of course to Barack Obama. This truly is a great and momentous occasion, and while he wasn't my guy in this election, I am still proud of what our great country has accomplished. This is undeniable proof of how far we as a country have come and the progress we've made towards true equality for all. Furthermore, Mr. Obama ran a great campaign, and his supporters should be very pleased. I truly hope that he is a great president - we really need strong leadership at this point in history, and I am confident that President Obama can provide it. I hope that he can use his power and influence for the good of all Americans, and most importantly, that he can make the difficult decisions necessary to protect our great nation. I hope and pray that he will lead us proudly into the future. This truly is a proud day for America.

Debate Mash-Up

2008-10-31T22:28:00.003-06:00

This is amazing - at once hilarious and depressing. I guess this is why I found myself nodding off through most of the debates.

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

For what it's worth, I really do think that the series of town hall meetings that were proposed by McCain would have been infinitely more enlightening for exactly this reason. They would both have to be off-script and say how they really feel about the issues and what they would really do to solve them.

A couple of other things: Here's a great article by Michelle Malkin called "Snapshots of the Tank." In it she details her favorite media-bias moments from this election cycle. Pretty telling.

This is a really interesting account by a former Democratic speech writer (who wrote for Obama, among others) who recently decided to leave the Democratic party. She talks about why she felt she had to leave, and about how difficult it was for her.

Finally, here's Bill Richardson explaining the nuance of the Obama tax plan - now middle class has dropped from $250,000 down to $200,000, then $150,000, now all the way down to $120,000? Even if he just misspoke, the fact remains that we've heard four different numbers over the past few weeks - nobody knows the real answer, it would seem.

Lots of Stuff

2008-10-28T23:03:00.003-06:00

First things first, a disclaimer - this will probably end up being a predominately political post. But, perservere, for there are other goodies too (or just skip to the bottom - we aim to please here at 'Rock). With that said, here's an interesting, article by Orson Scott Card, a sci-fi author, and well-known Democrat. Basically, he talks a bit about the economic crisis as a means to his main end, which is to call out the liberal media for doing such a terrible job. He gets pretty harsh, talking about the double-standard (he often asks how the media would have acted if there were actual evidence that the Republicans actually were completely to blame) and the total lack of journalistic integrity. Worth reading, and it's pretty short.

Here's a great article by George Will, again focusing on the truth behind the economic crisis, and how it's not as bleak as some want us to believe (yet).

Here's a shocker - turns out the Ohio official who ok'd the (illegal) records search on "Joe the Plumber," director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Helen Jones-Kelly, is not only an Obama supporter, but a maxed-out donor. It's that new-style politics, baby.

File this one under "In Case You Missed It" : Here's a nice synopsis of the journalistic-integrity free LA Times' decision not to release the tapes of Obama speaking at Khalidi's going away party. Just to be clear, Ayers was there, as were many, many, anti-Isreal types.

Finally, a very in-depth analysis called The Comprehensive Argument Against Barack Obama. You can probably guess what it's about. It was written by Guy Benson and Mary Katherine Ham, with input from Ed Morrissey, and posted on Hotair.com. Lots of really thought-provoking, scary stuff that we all should know about him, but don't because the main-stream media is too busy talking about Sarah Palin's shoes. Give it a read, or don't.

As promised, something different. Here's a great interview with Christopher Nolan, director of such films as Memento, Batman Begins. It's a really interesting analysis of one of the most pivotal scenes from The Dark Knight, the interrogation scene between the Batman and the Joker. Very much worth reading, if you're a film buff. Or especially if you're in the buff.

Lastly, another in case you missed it. Awesome, especially considering he played linebacker for Kentucky. I must have watched this 50 times to watch every part of the official's body just to be sure it was intentional; the fact remains - he had plenty of opportunity to avoid contact as he shuffled along (actually, pursued the running back inside-out, just like the teach linebackers to do [believe me, I know; I played linebacker in highschool; years ago]).

A Cry for Help

2008-10-25T15:01:00.003-06:00

Photo credit: someone else.

As it turns out, I don't really have all that many vices. But there is one thing that I simply cannot refuse; one thing that poses a significant risk to my god-like body - Stacy's Baked Pita Chips. Especially the "simply naked" variety, seasoned with nothing but sea-salt and shame. There just aren't that many things out there that I really worry about literally eating a whole bag of, but this is one of them. I (stupidly) often eat them while I'm doing something else, like reading or... eating lunch (which still qualifies as "something else" because my brain seems to be able to focus 100% of its processing power on eating pita chips, if given the chance). This is a terrible idea, because it can take me several minutes before I realize that I'm shoving them in my mouth as fast as I can. With both hands. I often joke that they're laced with crack, but given the way I jones for them when there aren't any around, it's not that funny anymore. I can't think of anything else. I start to think of ridiculous, risky ways to get quick cash to get my fix. Sure, I've done some things I'm not proud of, but it's not my fault. I'm sick, man. So, if you haven't ever had them, give them a shot. Maybe just try one. Oh, have you seen those crystal meth PSA's? I think I just came up with a new ad campaign for Stacy's: Pita Chips - The High is a Lie.

Magnus Got a Bed

2008-10-24T14:29:00.007-06:00

I thought that a nice diversion from all the crap that's been going on lately would be to post some pictures of the puppy. He's growing at an astounding rate, and, more importantly, my mom just got him a new toy. I mean bed. For the record, I am aware that this would be better served by using Flickr! or the like, but I don't really do that. Without further ado, Behold! He is Magnus.

I believe the words you're looking for are "Ridiculously Adorable."

Alessi

2008-10-22T21:06:00.003-06:00

Last night, my parents and I had the pleasure of going to see Joseph Alessi in concert with the Brass in Blue. I was looking forward to hearing the band play, as I'm a big fan of the brass band style, but as a trombonist, it was pretty amazing to see one of the best in the world. Alessi played some pretty great repertoire, including Blue Bells of Scotland (the link takes you to Jorgen Van Rigen playing Blue Bells, plus a whole lot of schtick), an old standard that I've played in the past (though not anywhere near the level I saw last night). The show was great all around; all of the musicianship was of very high quality, and now I can say that I've seen one of the greatest ever, live in concert. Here's a short clip of Alessi playing the solo from Bolero (which is fiendishly difficult to play well), followed by a clip of him playing one of my favorite short solos, Malcolm's Fantasy. Both were performed at masterclasses, so they aren't really indicative of just how dominant a player he is, but they're fun clips. I'm still a nerd.

Gird Your Loins, Friends

2008-10-22T20:25:00.006-06:00

note: I stole the above image from somewhere out there in the intertubes.

So, if you're anything like me, you're already sick to death of election politics, and have been for months. But really, I'm just getting sick of being lied to. You can't even turn on the TV without hearing some sort of "spin" (which of course actually means "carefully worded lies") - maybe I'm alone on this, but the fact that the media actually refer to their holding pen at debates and other big events from which they report each night as the "spin room" is pretty unbelievable. Actually, it's offensive and insulting. They are actually telling us straight up, "this is where we go to warp the politicians' words to suit our own agenda." Great. But even that wouldn't really be that big of a deal if the media would just cover both sides equally - anyone who says that the vast majority of the mainstream media isn't in the tank for Obama... is entitled to their own opinion, but I'd like to hear them support it. Oddly, the only person these days who really seems to be saying what he thinks and meaning what he says - Joe Biden. The fact that he has said the things that he's said, predicting that the world would see President Obama as unready for the office, and want to test him (which people are calling a "gaffe" - I don't buy it, he knew exactly what he was saying), and that America will need to "gird it's loins" to get through one of the several global crises he envisions. It's pretty unbelievable. Even more unbelievable is that virtually none of the mainstream media even covered it - and the fact that everyone seems to have forgotten that Biden himself said that there was no room in the Presidency for "on the job training " (read: he's not ready) during the primaries. Mr. Obama swept this most recent one under the rug by calling it a "rhetorical flourish," but you just know he clenches his teeth (or perhaps girds his loins) whenever Biden opens his mouth.

I don't want to belabor the point, but for everyone out there who has jumped on the "Blame the Republicans" bandwagon, read this. At the very least, this gets the ball rolling to get to the bottom of the economic crisis - and it shows that there's plenty of blame to go around. For my money (not that I have any), Barney Frank should be thrown in jail for his role in all of this, and for all of the money he's made from Fannie and Freddie. One last note - apparently this actually does exist, in spite of the fact that the Obama campaign has stated numerous times that it doesn't. This is the kind of lie that is just ridiculous - it's so easy to prove that it's not true that it's just offensive that they would try it.

Oh, Willard, You're Such a Card

2008-10-18T23:08:00.002-06:00

This is hilarious - brought to you by The Soup, enjoy this clip (after Al Roker gets hammered on fruity drinks) of Willard Scott molesting Ann Curry on the Today Show. Maybe the most awkward thing since... well, probably this. Or maybe this. Or perhaps this.

Or this (old but still horrific):

Lots of Stuff

2008-10-08T13:59:00.004-06:00

Well, it's been several weeks since the last post (and even that one was kind of lame) but get off my back, I've been busy. Here's a partial list of the things I've been doing, in no particular order:

I had an interview at KU Med: I felt like it went pretty well. I pretty much told them how stupid it would be not to immediately accept me, then I got up and strutted out of the room. I did this because I read somewhere that "confidence is key," and since I'm such a sucker for alliteration, I was sold.

I got accepted to KU Med: Pretty happy about this one. Now that I'm finally done waiting to see if I got into medical school, I can finally start waiting to start medical school in July. I did the early decision program, which means that since I was accepted, I'm locked in at KU. That's great because KU is where I really want to go, but now recruiting letters are starting to come in from other schools who've seen my MCAT scores and GPA. Mostly this just makes me glad that the whole application process is finally over.

I'm taking Anatomy and Physiology: It's been good so far - I really dig the material, and I'm doing really well so far. Also, there's a cute girl in the class - some might say that her complete and utter lack of interest in me is due to a complete and utter lack of interest in me, but I prefer to believe that she's playing hard to get. You know how girls like to be wooed, wined and dined, stalked, etc.

My folks got a new iMac: It's nice to be able to use a computer that turns on when you ask it to.

My folks got a puppy: His name is Magnus, he's an 8 week old Chocolate Lab, and he's sleeping right now, so please read quietly. He's more of a handful every day as he gets more and more comfortable in his new home (we've had him for about 6 days). Since both of my parents work and I'm kind of a bum right now, I've been spending a lot of time with him, and my back is pretty sore from stooping to grab stuff out of his mouth. In fact, I hear him whining right now, so I will cut this truly fascinating post short. Enjoy the puppy pictures.

I know there's a word for this...

2008-09-24T10:59:00.003-06:00

Unbelievable. Presumptuous. Arrogant. Unprecedented.

This just in via Hotair.com - act now to get your Barack Obama Presidential Coin!!! You know, make up your own mind about his policies, his character, his experience or whatever issues there might be out there, but this is pretty outrageous. It seems like they should at least wait until he wins the election before they immortalize his visage on a coin. I'm really "struck" (get it? I'll give you a hint: it's a pun - you strike coins, and I said that I'm "struck") by the fact that this was considered a good move for someone who is already considered by many to be arrogant.

That 1 Guy

2008-07-28T19:06:00.002-06:00

So my whole family loves music, and my dad is often the one who introduces the rest of us to new and interesting stuff. One such example is That 1 Guy. I heard his newest album "The Moon is Disgusting," with my dad the other day, and I just spent a few minutes watching YouTube videos of him. I've always had an interest in the one-man-band, and this guy is sort of the 21st century version. His style is sort of a grab-bag of everything from electronica and dance to funk and folk. He plays a one-string bass comprised of a long, segmented pipe that has several electronic triggers on it, in addition to various pedals that he uses to trigger other sounds (see the picture above). It's hard to really explain well, so just watch the videos below; it's really fascinating, innovative stuff. And he's hilarious. I've included the video for his song "Buttmachine," which is a poppy, dance-inspired song with very funny lyrics about butts. Below that is a live performance of the title track from the new album, which wanders a bit, but it demonstrates his music well. Hope you enjoy.

Good. Lord.

2008-07-28T17:18:00.003-06:00

Well, the countdown to the Olympics is nearly over, and Beijing finally seems to have gotten a handle on their little smog problem. Or not. WithLeather.com (the most trusted name in sports blogging - and they just wrote about the Royals!) has a picture from yesterday which really makes me believe that they've got things under control. Seeing these pictures, I can't help but wonder what it would be like to try to run a marathon or a sprint (or just briefly jog to flee from the Chinese tanks and gunfire); the first thing that comes to mind is that it would probably be like that part in The Abyss when Ed Harris first starts breathing that pink water. Only instead of pink water, it'd be like breathing molten lead mixed with cancer.

It Has Arrived

2008-07-15T14:24:00.003-06:00

For those of you who don't know, I finally bit the bullet and got a new drum set. I'm surprised I held out as long as I did, but I must say that I'm sad to see the pink drums get replaced. They were very good to me. I've included a few pictures of the set, and if you are so inclined, a list of components at the end (yes, I'm a nerd). The pictures don't really do the finish justice, and it's difficult to get a good angle to really show the entire set from within the confines of the basement (and there's no way I'm going to tear the whole thing down and relocating it just to take a few pictures that nobody but me will care about). Oh, and you can totally see Smokey the Bear the to left of the picture below. He's wearing a cowboy hat, of course.Drums: 14x5 Pearl Free Floater snare drum (brass shell), 10x6 Pacific Maple snare drum
8x7, 10x8, 12x9, 14x12, 16x16, 22x18 Pearl MCX Masters Maple Shells
Cymbals: 7" Sabian Signature Max Splash
8" Zildjian A Custom Splash
10" Sabian AAX Splash
12" Zildjian Oriental Trash Splash
13" A Zildjian Mastersound Hi Hats
14" Zildjian Schimitar Hi Hats (ancient)
14" Zildjian Trashformer
15" Zjildjian K Custom Hybrid Crash
16" Zildjian K Dark Medium Thin Crash
16" Sabian AAX Crash
17" Zildjian K China
20" Zildjian A Custom Ride

Thumbs Up

2008-07-13T11:21:00.005-06:00

The Good Reverend Jesse Jackson. In case you missed it, he said that he wanted to cut Barack Obama's nuts off. For real. Watch it here, read about the apology here, if you like. But way more importantly, I really encourage you to read this editorial my dad came across from The Root, entitled "When the Man is One of Us." It's a very interesting commentary from the Black perspective on how rapidly things are changing and what it would really mean for America to have its first African American President. I really recommend it. Also, I was hoping to find a youtube clip of Darrell Hammond as Jesse Jackson, but all I could find was this. It's entertaining, but he only does Jackson for a few seconds 1:45 in.

Photo from Ridiculopathy.com.

Summer Olympics = Huge Disaster?

2008-07-09T20:30:00.002-06:00

So, I'm already super psyched for the Olympics. But, as the title of this post should tell you, it's time for alarmist prognostication. I sure hope this isn't the case, but there really are way too many ways in which the Olympics Games in Beijing could go horribly wrong. Our friends at Slate (which I really don't know anything at all about them, but WithLeather.com hates them, so I probably do to - it's really quite taxing coming up with opinions on my own) have compiled a list of possible disasters that's worth a read. Having been to Beijing, I can vouch for several of them, namely the air pollution (which immediately burns your lungs from the second you step off the plane) and the food (which immediately burns your insides from the second you eat it). I read a while back about how the US was putting a great deal of effort into transporting clean beef, chicken and pork there to prepare for our athletes, but come to find out, outside food isn't being allowed. I hope the food there doesn't do to the athletes what it did to me or - insert awkward bathroom joke here. Of course, the interweb has allowed people with a little creativity and/or Photoshop (mostly the latter) to create images of doom and gloom. Some are pretty funny - like this one. Or this one. Or even less subtle, this one. But reading all of this about the Chinese government diverting water to Beijing and shutting down construction projects, not to mention kicking half of the cars off the streets to reduce pollution, I can't help but think about how much it would suck be subject to the whims of a government like that. And how much effort they're putting into all of this just to look like they're not a third world country anymore, which they aren't - although I did see a little girl poop in the street and then run to her waiting mother when I was there. Hopefully, none of these potential disaster will occur, and the games will go off without a hitch. My advice to American athletes: Go for the gold and don't eat or drink anything. Or breathe.

Italian Spiderman

2008-07-08T00:57:00.003-06:00

In case you haven't heard of it, do yourself a favor and check out "Italian Spiderman." Click the link above to see them all, but the first installment is below for your viewing pleasure. Be warned, it can be a bit offensive (but in a harmless way), and the episodes are pretty hit-or-miss, but it's definitely worth a shot. Also, PopSci.com has a pretty sweet gallery of new-ish images of the surface of Mars - there are, of course, better places to see more of these pictures, but here they're all in one place with charming synopses. Oh, and don't forget, AskaNinja.com is still cranking out high-quality humor.

God Bless America

2008-07-04T13:59:00.002-06:00

In a year filled with complicated issues, partisan political bickering, and rampant anti-Americanism both at home and abroad, there's no better time than the Fourth of July to remember the ideals upon which our great nation was founded. We must remember those who came before us and the sacrifices they made to ensure our way of life, and also those who fight for it in our own times. This was going to be a rant about politics and remembering where we came from as a nation, but instead, I'd rather focus on the positive. For all of the problems and disagreement we have in this country, I believe that the American Spirit lives on, and with it the hope of a better tomorrow. Happy Fourth of July, and God bless America.

Monday Cool

2008-06-30T13:00:00.003-06:00

Well, I'm not really sure what to say about all of this, but I just wanted to share this with those of you who haven't seen it yet. I just came across a guy named Pjotro who has built a suit that translates his dance moves into music. This video embedded below is from a truly bizarre Russian talk show (apparently hosted by Jabba the Hut [or the Baron Harkonnen, depending on which nerd-verse you're coming from]), and it shows a live performance of the dance suit. If you're interested, a search for "Pjotro" on Youtube will yield more videos. But do check out his website - with a bit of searching and enduring a rather long intro (which is hilarious, he sounds like Count Dracula) you get to the real gem. You can create a dance for him to perform using a variety of options and then make him dance it. Just check it out, it's well worth the time. He's also got a blog that talks about everything from the construction of the suit to his world tour. Be sure to check out the "about me" section too - it's hilarious.

How I Won Father's Day

2008-06-18T17:55:00.003-06:00

So, holidays/birthdays that require the exchange of presents are always the source of some consternation in my family. Mostly my parents refuse to tell my brother and me what they want (or even what they would tolerate) as a gift. This year, for Father's Day, I applied my superior intellect to the problem and lo and behold - the greatest Father's Day gift of all time. Here's the product itself, but more importantly, below is a picture of my dad wielding it. Tremble in fear of this image and bask in awe of my complete and utter mastery of this holiday of holidays.

As a fun side-note, I was pretty uncomfortable buying this at Dick's Sporting goods - it didn't really help when the cashier immediately said, "Wow, you could really hack some people up with that!" He's right, but that's not what it's for. Honest.

Thumbs Up Special

2008-06-18T12:36:00.009-06:00

So many things to bitch about, so little time. Instead of trying to cram everything in, I'm just going to talk about our Savior, Al Gore - or as the folks at Hotair.com call him, Goracle. In case you've forgotten, Goracle is now the champion of the environment, flying all over the world in his private jet to give talks (out of the goodness of his heart - and for over $100 million dollars in speaking fees). As a side note, he just bravely (after the nomination had already been decided) stepped up to endorse Obama (who admitted that he flies friends in to play basketball with him - nearly as environmentally hypocritical as the Goracle himself). But I digress. There's just so much to be appalled about with this guy that I can't even keep it all straight. For instance, the fact that he won the Nobel Peace prize for his "work," including the pseudoscientific (in that it distorts the facts to meet its alarmist ends) sham that is "An Inconvenient Truth" (a movie made from a slideshow). Now that's all fine and good - we need to be more aware of the impact we have on the environment. The real travesty here is that he won the Nobel Peace prize instead of Irena Sendler, who saved the lives of 2,500 Jewish children during the Holocaust at significant risk to her own life. Behold, Goracle!
By the way, I didn't make that image - if I had, it would have been way less understated. At any rate, the real purpose for this Thumbs Up for Mr. Gore is his valiant efforts to overhaul his enormous Tennessee mansion to make it more green (I would have just painted it). This was an important step for Gore, who has been criticized for being the world's biggest hypocrite. And boring. Click here to read the Tennessee Center for Policy Research's press release (really, it's short and well worth it) detailing Goracle's heroic transformation of his home from an energy-gobbling monstrosity that used 20 times the energy of the average US home to an energy-gobbling monstrosity that uses 10% more energy than it did before the renovation. That's right, it uses more energy now that he's made all of these improvements. But I guess all of that goes away when he throws money at "carbon-offsets," which are maybe the most idiotic result of his enviro-alarmism.

What people need to know, however, is that Al Gore might not actually be in this for the good of the world - what you never hear about is the fact that his investment company, GIM, holds a 9.5% stake in Camco Global, a company with one of the largest holdings of carbon credits. As you can see, Goracle stands to make quite a bit of money on the tails of the cap and trade program he has so fervently espoused. So for all this and more, here's a big thumbs up for Al Gore, savior of the environment. Want to learn more? Watch the video below to find out how you can help stop climate change. UPDATE: For those of you who want the facts, and not just my summary of them. Also not that Reuters reported it too, so this isn't just "Right-Wing conspiracy" against the Goracle.

Basketball is Stupid

2008-06-11T12:58:00.003-06:00

So, during this exciting season, I know many of you out there are wondering how I feel about Basketball. Well, I'll tell you - I think it's stupid. Now, don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good, hard-fought college game, but I find the NBA to be borderline intolerable. Why, you might ask? Because laziness is rewarded - these players are some of the most phenomenal athletes in the world, not to mention the most immense, and they flop around like rag dolls when there's the slightest contact. "Draw a foul?" Despicable words. The worst part is that they get rewarded for moving just enough to make someone bump into them and then falling over like a baby. There is not another sport out there that encourages not trying to make a play (unrelated - NASCAR is not a sport and the drivers are not athletes). I know I'm not alone in thinking that this is ruining the game - in fact, click right here to listen to Commissioner (I totally want to have the title "Commissioner" before I die) David Stern talking about the flop on the Dan Patrick show. And if you don't believe that it's a problem, behold! The clip below will surely show you your error.

Maybe I just don't love basketball as much as this a-hole (on the right - he looks kind of familiar), or maybe I just can't revert to child-like wonder as easily as him. Oh well, I just hope Jack Nicholson doesn't read this and attack my car with an umbrella. Oh, and I couldn't decide which of these pictures to include, so here's another picture of Kobe Bryant. Also, go to www.floppolice.com for updates on the rumored rule changes and to sign the petition.

Back in Kansas

2008-06-06T11:33:00.005-06:00

So, I guess it's been about a month already since the last post. I've been pretty busy - I'm back in Kansas, livin' it up. I missed the fam when I was up in Idaho, but definitely not the humidity. The awesome news is that I got back in town here just in time for all of my friends (or the last remaining KS residents) to leave - Jacob is in Lawrence for the month, and Adam is doing a medical program in India... and that's pretty much it.

In other news, I had the pleasure of going to the dentist today - probably my least favorite thing in the whole world. Everyone always says, "Oh it's so great going to the dentist! I just love leaving with my teeth all clean!" No. That's not generally how I feel when I leave the dentist's office. I feel brutalized. I feel violated, like I just paid to have someone rip up my gums with metal skewers and then proceed to berate me for not taking good enough care of them. I think that the hygenists want your mouth to be in perfect condition when you get there so they have a clean canvas on which to paint their portrait of pain (I've been pretty into alliteration lately). Now don't get me wrong, I don't go in there with crap in my teeth - I take very good care of my teeth. Partly because I would rather go back to China than have any kind of oral surgery (that's saying a lot), and partly because I don't want to get ragged on for not flossing when I go to the dentist. My dentist and the hygenist I normally get are really nice, but I'm pretty sensitive about the comments they make. Especially since they pretty much rate your effort over the last 6 months and they always put on this concerned/disappointed voice as if to convey the gravity of the situation. I floss every day and brush my teeth 2-3 times a day, so there's not a whole lot more I can do. And, they're sort of sending mixed messages since you always have to walk through the hall of horrors with all of the cautionary pictures of dental disfiguration just to get to the damned chair. But then, they have to do at most 30 seconds worth of cleaning before they polish (more like buff) and they still feel the need to make me feel like my teeth are rotting out of my head. Bitches. I just saw pictures of what it looks like when peoples' teeth are rotting out of their heads, and unless something changed pretty drastically from when I brushed my teeth this morning, I don't think I'm quite there yet. I'm not going to go into the whole awkward conversation tangent, because I feel like it's been pretty well covered over the last 150 years, but I will say that even when I do have a chance to actually say words (not just, "eeaooouow, eeehh hhooooll," or the like), I generally don't. Not because I'm rude or because I just sit there and pout, but because I don't like seeing someone perched over me, waiting to shove bloody meathooks back into my mouth while I wrap up my 5 word sentence about how rainy it's been lately. Bitches.

Speaking of bitches, in case you missed it, Clint Eastwood recently made Spike Lee his bitch by telling him to "Shut his face." Well said. Read the story over at Filmdrunk.com.

Soon

2008-05-03T19:07:00.003-06:00

This is just a quick update to let all you devoted fans know that I just finished principle photography on my latest (and greatest) project. Just a few FX shots and some sound issues to fix and it will be ready for public consumption. No promises on this one, but if Ty Doucheington can have a "special project every week," then so can I. What a douche. Just listen to his damn voice.

Dexter

2008-05-02T23:28:00.003-06:00

So a few months ago, my uncle asked me if I had ever seen the show Dexter. I'd actually never even heard of it at the time, but his description was more than enough to pique my interest. So I endeavored to watch the series in its entirety, which necessitated the use of a great website called Sidereel.com (it has lots of TV shows and movies that you can watch for free - even old stuff that nobody should ever watch, but is too good to resist) because of the fact that I don't get Showtime. With the exception of the last episode, they had all of them (fortunately, I was able to download the season 2 finale), and I just finished today. I've got to say, this really is one of the best TV shows I've ever seen - the acting is all great, and the writing is superb. I highly recommend it - I would not, however, recommend watching it on ABC or whatever network has just started showing it. Not only will the cut out a lot of the violence (which is not gratuitous, it's just integral to the character), but most importantly, they will have to trim about 10 minutes from each episode. It might work out, but if you're so inclined, the first season just came out on DVD; that's how I would recommend watching it. It's definitely a dark show, but one that's certainly worth watching. I wanted to include a clip, but Dexter doesn't really lend itself well to bite-sized consumption, so here is a compilation of a great character from the show Frisky Dingo. Like it or not, Adult Swim has some quality stuff off and on, and this show is really quite funny. Enjoy.

Don't See This Movie

2008-04-30T23:30:00.004-06:00

"Be Kind Rewind" was dreadful. It was really one of the most disappointing movie experiences I can remember. Not only was it excruciatingly boring, but the completeness with which a decent vehicle for a decent comedian was squandered is staggering. Add to that the fact that I was able to discern about 10% of the words Mos Def mumbled, and you've got the biggest waste of 10 bucks ever. I know this isn't the most timely post (I saw this movie at least 3 months ago), but I'm still pretty pissed about it. The only good thing to come from this disaster of a movie is the new trend of "sweded" movies hitting the internet (months ago). And even this is only partly good - most of these online movies are terrible, though some are pretty amusing. I happened upon this sweded version of Star Wars a few weeks back. It made me laugh, especially during the dogfight scenes - the sound effects are hilarious. Do yourself a favor and give it a watch; it's only 1 minute and 47 seconds long. However, in my quest to bring you only the highest quality content, distilled from all of the worthless crap on the internet, I have decided to embed the video below. It's a sweded version of "Jurassic Park," a favorite of mine. While it starts a little slow, I really have to appreciate the time and energy put into the music, and it picks up pace nicely about half-way through. Hope you enjoy. Oh, and just to be clear, credit goes to Steven Seller, Nicholas Biggs, Sebastian Cowan and Laura Louise Hodgson (whoever they are), who were responsible for this movie.

Smells Like Thumbs Up

2008-04-28T23:18:00.002-06:00

It's time for a very special thumbs up special (especially special this time!) - you can tell this is especially special because the image above is from Robot Jox (Two Men! Two Machines! Too Much!), perhaps the single greatest achievement of mankind, cinematic or otherwise. You'd be a fool not to watch the video below. Back to the point - I will abstain from too much personal political commentary on this one, but this thumbs up is political in nature, so get over it. This one goes to none other than Bill Moyer for retaining his hard-earned journalistic integrity and asking the tough questions when he interviewed the good Reverend Jeremiah Wright. You can tell from the picture below that Moyer feels like he really nailed this one (note the double fist pump and the fact that he's clearly saying, "Yessssss)), but I'm not sure I agree. I'll leave that for history to decide. Actually, no I won't - the whole interview was nothing but sycophantic ass-kissing. Feel free to tell me where I'm wrong.

I will say that I give major points for the way Mr. Obama handled this issue last week, saying that this is a legitimate issue - it is, and Write is not making it easy for Obama these days. But who wouldn't want to have a selfish, ego-maniacal loon as his spiritual adviser? Watch the clip below; if you've made it this far in the post, you deserve to turn your brain off for a few minutes.

I'm Back

2008-04-26T15:51:00.008-06:00

So, out of curiosity, can you tell which of the above is Alan "Cata-" Colmes? I'm not sure - I'm trying to keep in mind the "Superman effect" wherein Clark Kent becomes Superman merely by removing his glasses... At any rate, I've been working on a few projects to herald my triumphant return to blogging, but I just wanted to whet your appetite with a few of the amazing things I've been coming across lately. I just discovered stumbleupon.com which is a pretty sweet site that you may have heard of - it allows you to download a toolbar, set preferences and then click a button to be randomly fed websites that meet the criteria for things you are interested in. Here are a few of the many cool things I've come across in the last few days (posted in accordance to what a blog should be - that's right, I'm linking to material you can find not only in my own blog, but directly below this post):

Firstly, I've been feeling pretty stupid lately (which happens every day, but every couple of months I'll get honestly concerned that I'm getting dumber), so I've been trying to expand my mind a bit. Wired.com has told me exactly how to do that in this series of articles. Next, while it's not mathematically based (or "accurate" per se), this flash animation describing how one should visualize the (a) tenth dimension is a must-watch. It tends to meander a bit from the intended topic, but it's all interesting and good for mental gymnastics. Another flash animation (taken from this way cool collection of physics-related animations) will bend your mind with a great, intuitive explanation of the "Twin Paradox" - an example of the relativistic Doppler effect. I've heard this explained before, but the visuals really make this peculiar paradox easier to grasp. Also, Bill Nye the Science Guy has a sweet site.

On the lighter side, musicovery.com is a very cool site that lets you input your mood and then it selects and plays (entire) songs to suit your state of mind.

Lastly (for now), if you're into movie mistakes, here they all are and here's a funny site that condenses popular movies into a minute. Here's a sample:

The Sixth Sense

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

Ultra-Condensed by Derek Richardson

Haley Joel Osment

I see dead people.

Bruce Willis

Try talking to them.

Haley Joel Osment

It worked.

THE END

The Top Gun one is pretty funny too, as are many of the others. Well, that's it for now; keep your eyes peeled in the next week or so as there will be some big changes around here. Or not.

what a blog should be

2008-01-26T21:16:00.000-07:00

Not only is this a real product (I ...sh*t you not [wink]), but Bella, one of the dogs here, is taking it. It seems to work; we haven't caught her chowing down on Hattie poo poo in a while. Maybe she's just being a little more clandestine in her coprophagia.

So I read an article somewhere written by the guy who supposedly invented the blog - it was mostly techno mumbo-jumbo, but he said that the only thing a blog should be is a list of links that the author has come across and wishes to share with his readers. In that spirit, I now present to you a list of links that I have come across and wish to share with you, the reader.

Wired.com has compiled a list of things that suck, and a brief explanation for why each one sucks so incredibly hard - it's worth checking out, and they're taking suggestions. I'm sure we can all help out.

Also on Wired.com is this relatively short article on the newest breakthrough in genetics, the synthesis of an artificial genome. There are, of course, way better sources for reading about this, but this article is short and easy to understand, which is a plus if you're impatient and dumb like me.

Here is Hotair.com's take on Billy Jeff Clinton sleeping through a MLK Jr. commemoration. You've probably seen it, and Hotair.com doesn't add anything, but it is a deliciously, hilariously ironic video (he was, after all, our first "black president," right?), worthy of multiple viewings.

Father Knows Shit is a pretty funny blog I recently came across, written by a new father who also happens to be one of the writers for Kissing Suzy Kolber (below). Very funny stuff.

Lamblefamily.com is the family blog of a good friend of mine, Adam. The Lambles are always entertaining, and Adam periodically updates regarding his antics as a first year medical student at KU Med.

Kissing Suzy Kolber is an NFL- themed blog that is very funny. The name comes from the infamous Namath-Kolber incident (see below).

That's all for now. Look for more of these as I grow increasingly disinterested with this blog.

Just read the headline...

2008-01-17T20:33:00.001-07:00

So I just came across this article entitled, "Surgeons Perform Better After Playing Wii." I told my uncle about it. He's pretty good at bowling on Wii sports, for the record.

Portland/Near-Disaster

2008-01-14T15:11:00.000-07:00

So I just got back from spending about a week in Portland visiting my uncle. It was a lot of fun, and I'll probably expand upon all of the cool things I got to do at a later date, but for now, I'll just list a few highlights - we went to the coast and looked around (the picture above is Haystack rock at Cannon Beach) , then stayed in my uncle's hotel in Astoria (check out the gallery on the website, it's a really cool place). We also went to a Trailblazers game, which was amazing - my uncle has amazing seats, and the Blazers are playing really well these days. We also bummed around Portland quite a bit, which was great because it's so much different than any other city I've seen, and also because I got to revisit some places I went as a very young child. On the last full day I was there, we went to the Evergreen Aviation museum and saw the Spruce Goose, among other things. That museum is amazing, and the Spruce Goose is unfathomably huge. I've posted some pictures, but it is really difficult to get a sense of the scale of this thing.Here is the view as you enter the museum. Below, you can see just the tail of the Spruce Goose dwarfing a whole slew of other aircraft, including a B-25. Look at the tiny people for scale. (By the way, the plane in the foreground is a Ford Tri-motor, which is the plane my Grandpa jumped out of as a Smokejumper here in Idaho). Anyways, the trip was great. Oh, and I got to meet a high school friend of mine, Caitlin, and her friends for a drink one night. It was a lot of fun. The flight back was even more fun, though. I got to experience my first aborted plane landing as I was coming back to Boise. We were descending through a thick layer of clouds, and when we finally broke through, I could make out not only porchlights and windows, but individual bricks on the houses we were flying over. And, we were going really fast. After just a few seconds (spent wondering whether I was just being overly paranoid about a normal approach), the engines suddenly throttled all the way up, and we were all pushed into our seat backs as the plane accelerated and climbed back into the clouds. After a couple of minutes, the pilot came on and said, "Uh, we, uh, are going to give that another shot. We were coming in high and fast and...the tower wasn't really helping us out at all, so we're going to try to do better." I couldn't help but laugh - not only did we almost land a mile short of the runway at about 700 mph (yes, that's an exaggeration), the aircraft control tower didn't even notice. Needless to say, I felt safe. So, we circled around and made an uneventful landing, but I was still a bit nervous.

It's that time again...

2008-01-04T22:08:00.000-07:00

It's been a while and now it's time for another thumbs up special. This one goes to Martina Hingis, world-famous tennis star, who just tested positive for cocaine. Yay! They were testing her for blood doping, and thankfully, that came back negative. I guess the cocaine was a added bonus. Even though she's retired, she's still been suspended for two years (that'll show her) and will have to forfeit $130,000 in winnings. The picture above is meant to illustrate who really suffers from stories like this - the children. She really doesn't look like a coke-head, but then again, neither does this guy. Or this guy.

In other news, I saw Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem yesterday. It was...confusing. And a little disappointing. Parts of it were pretty good, and it was way better than the first one, but I really don't think that I like the premise of these movies. I think I have trouble liking these movies because what I really think they should do is a reboot of the Alien franchise. Go back to what works - aliens in space, stalking and killing people and androids coughing up milk. I should totally be a Hollywood producer. I will say, however, that AVP:R did a better job than its predecessor of capturing the mood and it (thankfully) avoided any ridiculous teamwork between humans and predators. I give it a solid B-.

On a more positive note, I think I'm finally going to see Juno tomorrow. I have high hopes. My hopes are equally high for another movie starring Rainn Wilson - The Rocker, which come out sometime this year. I'm hoping it's not aimed at a younger demographic, but with the little I know about this movie, it could be pretty funny. Here's an interview with Rainn Wilson about it, and you can probably see the picture below, which is amusing.

One last tidbit - I came across perhaps the greatest story of all time today. The headline: Boy, 11, Uses Toy Lightsaber to Defend Mom From Attacker - do yourself a favor and read it. It's short, but heart-warming. Feel free to insert your own punchline (the force is strong with this one...), but this kid is way cooler than star wars kid.

Back to School

2008-01-03T11:15:00.000-07:00

So, Molly went back to school today, and my class starts up in just a few short days. For these reasons, I have posted the video below. It's from a strikingly odd show called "Time and Eric's Awesome Show, Great Job!" I've only seen a part of this show once, but after seeing this clip, I think I will be doing some investigating...

In other news, I'm going to see Alien v. Predator: Requiem with my cousin Megan today. I have high hopes, and I'm very glad that she is willing to go with me - this is one of those massive nerd-movies that I'm not sure my failing self-esteem would allow me to see in the theater alone. I'll be sure to tell you all (both of you) what I think. I'm just hopeful that it will be better than the last one (pictured below).

Happy 2008!/Not out of it, yet

2008-01-02T20:12:00.000-07:00

This is officially my first post of the new year, and I'm just as excited as you, I can promise you that.

Well, after waiting on pins and needles, I finally received a letter from KU Med (they actually sent it exactly when they said they would, but I was up in McCall when it arrived). As expected, this letter asked me to be patient until the middle of March when they complete all of the interviews and rank all of the applicants. By the way, when I say,"as expected," what I mean is that I either expected this or to be rejected outright. The fact that I wasn't accepted at this stage of the game merely means that I wasn't in the top one or two interviewees of my group, but the fact that I wasn't rejected means that I wasn't in the bottom 1/3. My point is, I'm very glad to still be in the hunt, even though it means a few more months of patience and carefully controlled terror.

In other news, I went skiing today with Megan and Molly (Amy had her wisdom teeth out today, so she declined [rudely] to join us). It was a lot of fun, though it was cold and windy. It was a little sad, because this marks the first time that I've gone skiing for real without the rest of my family (my mom, dad, brother or some combination thereof). I got to spend some good time with them over the last week or two when they were up here for Christmas, though. That's probably it for now.

Oh, I just came across Patton Oswalt's blog. It's pretty funny stuff, and it led me here, where a bunch of people review pretty much everything (a lot of it's pretty funny - I think they are in some way related to the Onion, but I'm new to it and don't really know yet). I probably could have sold both of those links better, but whatever. Go there. Or don't. But do go to erikebelingart.com. Especially if you live in Chad.

Merry Christmas, One and All

2007-12-21T23:17:00.001-07:00

So my family is flying up here for Christmas - they're actually due to arrive in about an hour and 15 minutes, after having been delayed in both KC and in Denver. Tomorrow the boys are going to shoot sporting clays in the morning, then we'll drive up to the winter-wonderland that is McCall this time of year to spend the holiday. We'll ski, snow-shoe, etc., and hopefully I can get some people to go for a swim in the lake with me (it's kind of dicey, since you have to break through the ice to get to the water). It should also be noted that the cabin up in McCall is sort of an internet-wasteland - translation: don't expect any updates for at least a week. Be strong. But seriously, even though everyone who reads this (read: mom) will be up here - merry Christmas. Have a safe and happy holiday. See you on the other side, Ray.

I hope they liked my smile...

2007-12-19T18:54:00.000-07:00

So here's an odd thought; right now, literally as I am typing this, the KU Med admissions committee is having their final meeting of the year. They are discussing my interview group, and determining my future. It's kind of an odd thought. Tomorrow and Friday they will mail out letters to my group telling some (very few) that they've been accepted, some that they've been denied, and many that they will need to wait patiently until March when they compile the final list and create the wait list. All I can do now is wait, and hope they respected me for my mind, not just my body. Keep your fingers crossed.

erikebelingart.com

2007-12-18T11:35:00.000-07:00

So in case you didn't know, my brother is an artist. In fact, one time when the whole fam was up here in Idaho, he showed his portfolio to an artist-friend of my grandparents who was so impressed that he pored over my brother's work for hours. During this time, I learned how to sleep with my eyes open (it makes me drool, that's the only downside). I was, however, jarred out of my slumber when the friend sensed that I was left out of the conversation (about 8 hours later) and asked me, "So... do you have a talent?" To which I replied, "No." I'm a lot of things, but I'm not a liar.

Anyways, my brother has just completed his website, which is way cool. Do yourself a favor and check it out at www.erikebelingart.com - he's got a gallery where you can check out a lot of his works (or pieces? I don't know anything about art), a page where you can follow the progress of his latest works, and a blog where you can wish you were reading my blog. So, check it out, tell your friends, spread the word (especially if you or someone you know might be interested in commissioning a work from a talented young artist), and enjoy. Btw, mad props to webmaster Nick Pearson who did the tech-work to make Erik's website possible. erikebelingart.com - go there.

Expert Skier or...

2007-12-16T20:20:00.000-07:00

So today was my last ski lesson - it was a bit sad. I was really starting to like some of the people in my group (especially Bruce [see below]), as well as the instructor (who, as it turns out, is an ecological engineer and a really good guy). Oh well, maybe I will run into them on the slopes. Then, if we both survive the collision, we can catch up and exchange ski tips (another pun, but I'll let it go). I got a lot better, mostly because these lessons gave me the opportunity to take things really slow and establish good fundamentals.

Well, there's not really anything else interesting for me to talk about, and I need to study for my biology final coming up - I still haven't really come to terms with the fact that I have to take a final again, but I guess it will happen one way or the other. Btw, in case you didn't see I am Legend, and/or watched it online, here's the new Batman trailer. Should be pretty sweet, though it doesn't come out until summer '08.

I Am Legend /Ski School

2007-12-15T14:05:00.000-07:00

So my cousin and I went to see I am Legend last night - or I guess I should say that I saw it and she saw about a third of it. Parts of it were actually pretty scary, and Megan doesn't deal well with that as it turns out; she had to hide behind the bill of her hat for a lot of the movie. I suppose the premise (Will Smith is the last man alive after a virus kills everyone and turns some into zombie/vampire things) might have alerted me to this possibility, but it was actually a really sad movie. I thought Will Smith, who is a surprisingly good actor (considering where he came from), did a great job in it, though most (if not all) of the special effects were somewhat lackluster. In fact, I was pretty disappointed with all of the CGI, frankly. I am, admittedly, a bit of a special effects snob... At any rate, I will forgo a lengthy review for fear of spoiling the movie for all of my rabid fans. It's definitely worth seeing, if you're in the mood.

In other news, I just returned from my first ski lesson, and it was a lot of fun. I was concerned that the lessons were going to be too slow and boring, but the pace was actually pretty good. It was a great opportunity to focus on the fundamentals and actually learn how to ski instead of just learning how to not fall. There are some nice people in my group, especially 50-year old guy named Bruce. Bruce is from Texas, and he was having way more fun than any of the little kids out there. He kept things entertaining, and it's way more fun to enjoy something like this when there's someone else who's having a great time. I'm really looking forward to having my family up here in a few days to ski, etc. Hopefully Bruce will get a little bit better by then - he's still kind of a scourge on the slopes, and it'd be a shame if he rand down a member of my family.

As a bonus, my cousin showed us this clip last night. It's from Robot Chicken, and it's short, disturbing and funny - just like most things from that show.

It's That Time of the Year Again

2007-12-14T15:54:00.000-07:00

So it's nearly Christmas, and you know what that means... it's time to not know what to get my family for Christmas! Hooray! This year could have been easier, given the fact that my dad actually told my mom, "this is what you should tell the boys I want for Christmas this year..." Apparently, however, my mom wanted to let my brother and me (yes, that is grammatically correct) suffer a little bit more by withholding this information until it was too late. Oh well, this is only the first time in recorded history that a member of my family actually wanted something for Christmas - why not squander it, you know? Anyways, I wouldn't say that I hate giving gifts at all. I actually like it a lot, I just wish it were simpler and that success could be guaranteed without resorting to interrogation methods not in accordance with the Geneva Convention. But in case you're reading, mom and dad, I'm sick of this - be warned that next year, I will have no qualms about waterboarding one or both of you to get this sort of information out of you (sometimes even I have to lower myself to over-used, topical humor). Then I will be able to give you the best gifts ever and win Christmas. Which is really what Christmas is about, after all. That and terrible commercials on TV.

It's happened...

2007-12-13T17:53:00.000-07:00

Jason Giambi, before and after... or did I mess up the order? I can't even tell.

So the big Mitchell Report has been released listing "all" of the Major League Baseball players who used heroin I mean crack I mean steroids, and I must say, I am shocked. Literally, shocked. No real surprises on the list, but a few surprises left off the list. I'm not going to say who they are, because that might give you, the reader(s?), the sense that I care about baseball at all, which is false. All I'm going to say is that around the time Bonds was nearing the record, I saw a clip of him up to bat and a few fans in the crowd had a huge banner that said, "Babe Ruth did it on hotdogs and beer." I thought that was pretty funny. Oh, and I will also say that I think his record should get an asterisk, or should I say ass-terisk.

I think the biggest issue with this whole thing is that it's such a huge issue. I mean, yeah, these jerks are supposedly role models for children and all that, but being disappointed in our role models is neither new, nor is it confined in any way to baseball (ahem, Kobe Bryant [maybe I should just say "the NBA"]). And, yeah, the drugs are illegal and they've all but destroyed "America's pastime" (though it was the fact that the games are 7 hour snore-fests that ruined it for me). But what I really don't understand is why Congress is so heavily involved with this whole thing. They have invested so many hours and tax dollars that could have been put to better use in any of a hundred ways that I just really can't stomach the whole thing. I mean, the average Congressman works like 3 hours every other week, it seems like they might be able to form a slightly more useful sub-committee - perhaps they could probe something else, like getting re-elected to keep doing nothing, or the rapidly decreasing size of "fun-sized"
candy bars (seriously, have you noticed that? it's hardly worth it for me to trick-or-treat anymore). At any rate, I definitely don't want this blog to turn into a sports column, both because I don't know that much about sports, and because professional athletes can be some of the most discouraging, disgusting examples of humanity at its worst (with notable exceptions). I just thought we should all take a moment to morn the death of baseball's innocence - I know you were all as surprised as I was hear that all of those massive, frighteningly muscular behemoths are taking steroids in spite of the fact that doing so is prohibited.

btw, if you are so inclined, here's a site with a bunch of pictures of MLB guys before and after they started juicing. Pretty impressive stuff, especially seeing Barry Bonds dressed as a woman.

Lots of things - Pull!

2007-12-09T23:23:00.000-07:00

So it's been a while, but I've been pretty busy. I have a couple of big topics to cover, but due to the fact that some of them might be totally boring to some of you, I'm going to break them up into separate posts, all labelled "Lots of things- something" to make this easy for you, my loyal reader(s?). This way, you can decide if you want to read or not. Your fate is in your own hands.
So today I did something I've always wanted to do - my uncle and I went to shoot clays. It was amazing - way more fun than I thought it was going to be, and I thought it would be a lot of fun. I was pretty apprehensive at first, considering I had never even held a gun before, but as it turns out, I caught on pretty quickly. I don't mean to brag, but I hit my first three clays. Now I'll brag - the owners of the place said that a beginner is doing very well if he/she gets 17 out of the first 50 targets. I hit 29 on my first time through the course (you can't see, but I'm literally patting myself on the back right now). The course is set up kind of like a golf course, so you walk around to all of the different stations, each with a different set-up of trees and angles and position of the clay-thrower things (no idea what they're called). Then you say "Pull" and shoot. It was great fun. On the first round, an older guy who competes on a national level shot with us and gave my uncle and I a few pointers, which were very helpful (btw, I beat my uncle on both rounds we did). He was amazing, and a pretty darned good teacher. All in all, it was a very fun day, and I would very much like to do it again. I haven't checked yet, but I'm hoping to have a sweet bruise on my shoulder. I'll keep you posted (that's a little blogger's inside joke, I don't expect you people to get it).

Lots of things - Tool Concert

2007-12-09T23:01:00.000-07:00

So last night, I was lucky enough to go to see Tool in concert. Who would believe they were playing in Nampa, ID. Nampa is better known as the home of the Snake River Sugar Co's Sugar Beet factory than for their rock music, but I'll take what I can get. At any rate, the show was amazing. All of the visuals on all of the screens, as well as all of the lighting and laser effects were totally revamped. More importantly, nearly every song they played incorporated a new segue, solo section or groove. Some parts were a little bit loose; you could tell that everyone was improvising more than normal, which is understandable considering they've been playing basically the same songs for the last 2 years. The setlist is below, and it was the only real disappointment of the night - they just didn't play enough songs for my liking. They spend too long wasting time between songs with atmospheric effects and long transitions, and not enough time playing actual music. Oh, I just remembered - the most disappointing part of the night was actually the opening band, TransAm. Terrible. I've never understood why Tool insists on having such terrible bands play like it's amateur hour to open up the show. It would literally be more entertaining to just sit there and stare at the stage. Oh, I just remembered - the actual most disappointing part was when they brought some idiot from Isis on to "play drums" to accompany Danny Carey's drum solo. He literally looked like he'd never held a pair of drums sticks in his life. Fortunately, they had him turned way down so he didn't totally ruin the solo. Actually, the sound was great in general. They were all clearly on top of their game, though Maynard still wasn't feeling well after his viral infection.

I was able to go to this concert with my cousin Amy, and her bf (the) Jimmy. It was way fun because this was their first real concert. We got to see fist fights, people getting kicked out, and drunk people yelling at each other. All in all, pretty sweet. Here's the setlist, nerds...

JAMBI
STINKFIST [extended]
46 & 2
SCHISM
ROSETTA STONED
FLOOD
[intermission light show]
WINGS FOR MARIE
10K DAYS [WINGS II]
LATERALUS
VICARIOUS

Lots of things - Medical School Interview

2007-12-09T22:27:00.000-07:00

This last topic is one which will likely receive further treatment in the near future, but my exhaustion will limit this post to a few choice sentences for now. I returned home to KS on Wednesday evening to go and interview at KU Med. My mother was kind enough to pick me up at the airport, and we had a nice meal at Bravo!. I picked out a tie (powerful, yet conservative) and tried to get some sleep. The next morning, I braved the weather to travel to the Medical Center and have what was a stressful, yet enjoyable day. Everyone there, except for my second set of interviewers, were very friendly and welcoming (I got grilled a little bit by the second interviewers - they were clearly trying to see how I handled the stress [I started to sweat profusely, shift uncomfortably in my chair and make wild, false claims about past achievement in the fields of both health care and quantum physics - you could say I am probably the best ever at interviews]). I also saw several people I knew from BVNW, which was pretty cool. All in all, it was a pretty good experience - now I just get to wait for a few months before I discover my fate. Should be swell. More on this later.

Btw, I don't know why I thought of this, but if you haven't seen the video of all of David Caruso's one liners from CSI:Miami, go here and enjoy. You won't regret it. And if you're pressed for time, here's one that I don't think is in the video, hosted by the great Joe McHale.

Matt Damon

2007-12-01T22:58:00.000-07:00

So, I normally try not to hate too much on things that are totally awesome, but this has been bugging me for a long time. The Bourne Identity movies are bad-ass. At least I think they are. It's kind of hard to tell because the camera is always bouncing around so much that 99% of my energy is spent avoiding vomiting from motion sickness, which leaves a scant 32% of my massive intellect remaining to enjoy the movie. Don't get me wrong, I think they really are great movies, and Matt Damon does a great job, I just really wish I could see what is going on. Clearly, the choreography for the fight scenes is fantastic, and the chase scenes are second to none, I just really wish it was all viewable. The reason this really bothers me is because I went to see the Bourne Ultimatum with my aunt, uncle and cousins over the summer, and Molly literally had to leave about 20 minutes in because the camera work was making her sick. I blame Oliver Wood, who did the cinematography for the movie (also worth noting is the chuckle I had when, while reading over all the crew to decide who was most deserving of my scorn , I came across Florian Emmerich who [hilariously] operated the steadycam). I just don't understand why such good movies had to be ruined by such terrible cinematography. It is, however, humorous to imagine the camera men(/women) running around the set, chasing after Matt Damon and shaking their cameras like they're covered with fire ants... In case you haven't seen the movies, I decided to provide you with a clip below so you can see what I'm talking about. If you look really closely, my hand makes a short cameo - think of it as a sort of Easter egg for the fans out there.

I almost hate to bring this up, but another great movie was nearly ruined by this same problem, though it was less of an issue on this one: Batman Begins. If anyone can describe to me what exactly is happening in some of those fight scenes, I'll shut up, but nobody can, so don't try. I can understand directors wanting the audience to feel like they're "in the action," but it seems like they would also want audiences to "be able to watch their movies."

Flight of the Conchords

2007-11-28T21:38:00.000-07:00

So a few friends of mine have recommended that I get acquainted with the Flight of the Conchords, a comedy/musical duo from New Zealand. There's some pretty good stuff on Youtube, and I just wanted to share a clip that I like to watch when I am feeling bad about myself. It's called "Bret you've got it going on," and even though my name has two t's, I still like to pretend that he's singing to me. Enjoy.

Also worth watching is this clip from their HBO show entitled "Bret's angry dance."

Good. Lord.

2007-11-28T20:52:00.000-07:00

So I was just looking around Hot Air.com, and I came across what is, quite possibly, the most disturbing thing intended for TV I have ever seen. It's a Canadian PSA about what is apparently a big, big problem: grease fires. Or getting married, I'm not really sure which. Or maybe it's just saying we should stop having accidents.

Pretty rough stuff, but I'm very glad that there's someone out there raising awareness about these things.

In other news, my cousin Molly has a bad ankle sprain, but nothing worse than that. Good news. Better news is that she ought to be better in time for ski season, which means I won't have to ski alone.

Welcome, Ski Season

2007-11-27T16:30:00.000-07:00

So today I committed myself to a season of skiing by renting skis/boots/poles and purchasing a season lift ticket. I got an amazing deal on all of it, but unfortunately, there is a catch; I have to go to 4 lessons. This isn't a a huge deal, but the lessons are for absolute beginners (which I like to think that I am not - I've skied a few times). We don't even get to go up on a lift for the first lesson, which is an hour and 45 minutes long. Bummer. While this will be pretty boring, I can get my season lift ticket after completing the 4 lessons, meaning that these 4 lessons will save me a total of almost $400. Which is more than enough to justify a few hours of boring lessons (which will be helpful, for sure).

Unfortunately, we just heard that my cousin Molly rolled her ankle a few minutes ago at cheer practice, and my aunt just took her to the ER to get X-rays. If she is out of commission, then I have lost my number 1 ski partner before the season even started. I can't believe she would do this to me. She's so self-centered. More on Molly when we hear.

I'm picking out a thermos for you...

2007-11-26T14:27:00.000-07:00

I wish this had video, but it was stuck in my head for a long time and it made me smile.

Merry Christmas!

2007-11-25T18:13:00.000-07:00

So I just got back to Boise after a 10 day trip home, and apparently, it's Christmas. I got here and not only were there Christmas cookies (sorry mom), but also a Christmas village set up by my aunt. More like a Chrismas Metropolis. Hundreds of thousands (literally) of little ceramic houses, shops, people, animals, trees, and like 10 Santas. Oh, and today, they got a huge tree and already have the lights up, etc. I just feel like it's a bit early for all of this, but then again, I really don't require all of this - a bottle of whiskey will pretty much do it for me. I hate whiskey.

It was good to be home, but I felt really rushed the whole time. I wanted to try to spend time with lots of people in addition to my fam, and I don't think I was very successful. I only saw some of my good friends once for about an hour. But I did get to hang out with my brother and his girlfriend, Alicia, quite a bit, which is good. We all went to see the Blue Man Group, which was awesome. I would highly recommend seeing both their stage show and their touring rock concert. Also worth noting is that we saw the show at the new Sprint Center in downtown KC. It is amazing.

The only real bummer of the last few days was the fact that I had to fly during the KU - MU game. My parents and I watched the first 8 minutes or so at a bar in the airport, and then I tried desperately to avoid hearing updates so I could watch it when I got to Boise (my aunt DV-Red it for me). This proved to be frustratingly difficult. Every a-hole I passed was screaming loud enough about the game for me to hear through the music I was blasting on my iPod. And, of course, this is the one time in my life I'm on a plane TVs in the seats. They didn't have ABC for some reason, but people were watching ESPN to get the score updates, and then screaming across the whole plane about it. So, I had some inkling as to what was going on, but I wasn't all that sure until I got here. Then, literally the second thing my uncle said to me when I got here (after, "Welcome back") was something about how both BSU and KU lost. I was too tired to be pissed. But I'm not too tired today to be pissed that the Chiefs lost to the Raiders... Oh well. I think there's an episode of either Seinfeld or Curb Your Enthusiasm where they talk about trying to get people to not tell who won a Lakers game they had taped. It's not as funny in real life.

In more positive news, I recently heard that I have been invited to interview at KU Med a week from Thursday. This is exciting news, but I feel like I have a lot of work to do to get ready for it.

Sports, Sports, Sports

2007-11-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

So I pretty much watched football all day today (and I still am), with only a few hours off to go to a hockey game with my uncle. It was actually a lot of fun - I've been to a hockey game before, but it's been many years. There were a few fights, but a lot of spectacular plays and goals. The only thing truly worth mentioning, though, was the lady singing the national anthem. She had a beautiful voice, from what I could hear, but she either forgot to turn the mic on, or the sound people screwed up. Either way, it was pretty awkward as she sang her tasteful, yet barely audible rendition until a guy across the way from me started belting out with her. Before too long, pretty much the whole crowd was singing along with her at a respectful volume - not trying to drown out what little we could hear without the amplification. It was a cool experience, but I feel pretty bad for the singer.

In other news, I'm getting pretty excited to go home for Thanksgiving. I miss the fam and the dog, so it will be good to see them again. All of a sudden, it seems, I've been gone for 5 months. Pretty crazy. Oh well, go KU.

Bad News for TV Fans

2007-11-06T11:23:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't heard, the WGA (Writers Guild of America) strike started yesterday. After negotiations failed to resolve the dispute, the strike started yesterday morning, meaning that no new scripts will be turned in, and in many cases, filming of the scripts that are already finished will stop. This is very bad news for fans of The Office (Steve Carrell is a guild member so production stopped yesterday), and many other shows. Here is an in-depth assessment of where many shows stand. Most shows will have either a truncated season, or will just stop after this week (talk shows like The Daily Show, The Tonight show, The Colbert Report, etc. have already gone to reruns). The whole thing is a huge bummer, especially for fans of shows like Battlestar Galactica, Scrubs and The Shield, which are in their final season and probably either won't end as the creators intended, or will be aired over the span of a year and a half or more. Also worth noting is that 24 likely won't start airing until a full season can be put together - so not until the end of the strike, plus production time, which could put it one or even two full years from now. Also worth mentioning is the fact that many movies which are in preproduction will get canned, and others, which were frantically scripted to be finished before the strike, will probably be terrible. As you can see above, Joaquin Phoenix isn't happy about this either.

Ty Pennington is a douche

2007-11-04T21:53:00.001-07:00

So, the girls here really love Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, which means I often have to suffer through it. To be more precise, I often have to hide in a far corner of the house to escape the cartoonishly over-the-top screaming and lisping of Ty Pennington (look at that hair). Embedded, you will find a clip from the show (with 18 seconds of silent lead-in, for some reason - bear with it, it's worth it); please watch it, so you can see what I'm talking about.

In case you're wondering, that's him saying "Oh!" over and over again, and then him talking like Krusty the Klown on crack at the end. Now, before you people even say it, I'm not talking about the guy's DUI arrest. While that is terrible, and no one should ever drive drunk, I'm not even calling upon that evidence to make my case. In fact, I'll even go so far as to say that he seems like a decent person; he obviously changes a lot of people's lives for the better on that show, and I have nothing but respect for that. That's not my point at all. You can be a great person and still be a total douche-bag. Which he is. He's one of those guys that people love, and I want to like, but his ego is too massively huge to feel anything but scorn for him. In case you don't believe me, take it from someone who knows, someone who's opinion is true and worthy... Joel McHale.

For the record, I am aware that there are people out there more worthy of my scorn that this guy, but his show was on tonight, and I'm particularly crabby tonight, so it was kind of the perfect storm. And he's a tool.

Wow

2007-11-04T10:36:00.000-07:00

So I went with my cousin Amy to the BSU football game yesterday. It was pretty amazing - we got tickets from one of my uncle's fellow docs, and the seats were pretty sweet. We were about 10 rows up at just about the 50 yard line. I took a picture, but I'm not set up to transfer to the computers here, so the above picture will have to suffice. I'm really only including it to show the blue field (which some people say makes BSU football not real football [Alek]). Anyway, it'd been a while since I had seen a live sporting event, and it was fun to be in a stadium full of rabid fans again. For the record, Boiseans take their BSU football very seriously; you can't go anywhere without seeing bumper stickers, jerseys, etc., and everyone has an opinion. It was a fun afternoon, for sure. The only bummer was that one of the San Jose State players got hurt- the game was stopped for about 20 minutes while they stabilized him and took him off in an ambulance. It seemed to be a neck injury, and while I think I saw him move his leg a little once, it looked pretty bad. Hopefully he's ok.

BOOO!

2007-10-31T12:04:00.001-06:00

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

2007-10-29T19:12:00.000-06:00

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...

2007-10-28T09:57:00.000-06:00

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

2007-10-24T14:19:00.000-06:00

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...

2007-10-23T18:44:00.000-06:00

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...

2007-10-22T17:59:00.000-06:00

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

2007-10-20T19:54:00.000-06:00

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...

2007-10-20T00:02:00.000-06:00

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

2007-10-16T15:07:00.000-06:00

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

2007-10-16T14:40:00.000-06:00

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

2007-10-16T12:07:00.000-06:00

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

2007-10-14T10:41:00.000-06:00

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

2007-10-12T14:10:00.002-06:00

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...

2007-10-12T13:39:00.000-06:00

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

2007-10-12T10:58:00.000-06:00

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

2007-10-11T18:15:00.000-06:00

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...

2007-10-02T14:42:00.000-06:00

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.

sick as a dog

2007-09-19T21:50:00.000-06:00

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

2007-09-19T13:29:00.000-06:00

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...

2007-09-18T21:41:00.000-06:00

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

2007-09-15T00:29:00.000-06:00

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

2007-09-12T13:09:00.000-06:00

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

2007-09-09T21:22:00.000-06:00

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...

2007-09-07T18:50:00.000-06:00

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.

DBS

2007-08-28T14:12:00.000-06:00

Well, I observed a Deep Brain Stimulation surgery today, and it was amazing. This is one of the relatively few procedures during which the patient is totally awake and aware, which was really neat because it was clear that she was immediately improved. Today was the first of a two part procedure; first, you implant the electrodes in the brain, then a few days or a week later you implant the impulse generator and tunnel the leads from the electrodes to connect to the generator. Today started with Dr. Johans and Patrick, a Medtronic rep (he travels all around the country to assist with this surgery, and handles the business end of things), dtermining their plan of attack using a computer - they were nice enough to explain to me what was going on, which is good, because this is going to be one of the research topics I will be tackling this year. Two different kinds of MRI scans (T1 and T2) were overlayed with a CT scan in order to produce a map of the brain. They then planned the approach to insert the electrodes into the target areas without damaging major structures or causing bleeding. The computer then calculated the angles and settings for this approach, which were then dialed into a frame that is positioned over the patient's head. This frame is used to guide the electrodes into the targeted spots in the brain (as you can imagine, precision is very important). So, to make a long story short, a bur hole is drilled into the skull and the electrode is placed on each side (one at a time). After the electrode is in place, it is connected to a power source to check the placement. The patient today suffers from essential tremor, and as soon as each electrode was turned on, she was given a basic motor exam to test for improvement. When she first tried to touch her nose as part of the exam, she immediately started crying. Her tremor was all but gone (after tweaking the voltage a bit, it disappeared completely). She was overcome with emotion; she's had this tremor for almost 20 years, and it's had a terrible impact on her life. The whole thing was very touching, and it was very cool to see such a positive outcome for someone who hadn't even left the OR yet. Most people are totally out of it until a while later, so this was a nice change. I'm hoping I will get to see the second operation to implant and connect the impulse generator, but I'm really hoping that I will get to see her post-op in clinic to see how she's doing. Very cool stuff.

Back to the Basics

2007-08-27T22:24:00.001-06:00

Well, today was my first day of class at BSU. I totally felt like a freshman again, walking through the campus with my eyes searching desperately for the Multi-Purpose Classroom Facility, my mouth slightly open, and fear on my face. It really brought back some great memories from old KU. I've determined that I'm not entirely ready to be a student again. Other than a lifelong student, of course. Whatever the hell that even means. So, I found the building (it was right where I thought it would be) and sat through the obligatory syllabus/schedule first class of the semester. The only snafu was that I'm not on the roster for some reason - it's odd because I'm definitely enrolled in the class... I'm sure it won't become a huge hassle. Nothing like this ever does. Oh, and there will be weekly problem sets in my Cell Biology class, which marks the first time I will do homework since...

Well, tomorrow I'm going to observe a Deep Brain Stimulation surgery. Should be pretty sweet, though I'm not sure how much I will actually be able to see. Tim and his PA, Brian (who's a super nice guy) explained to me the nuts and bolts of the surgery today - as you might expect, it's pretty fascinating stuff.

By the way, one of the most annoying things in the world - my aunt and uncle have their dogs trained to poop in a certain area of the yard, but they have to be monitored to ensure that they don't go rogue and poop everywhere (the sidewalk, people's beds, etc.). So, it's pretty frustrating when they insist upon sniffing every square inch of the poop area and spinning in circles about 750 times before they do their business. But you can't really rush them. All they know is "No!" and "Come here!" - neither of which is helpful in this instance. It makes it almost worthwhile, though, to see the guilty, ashamed look on their faces as they defecate; you dog owners know what I'm talking about. I like to watch them while they do it, even talk to them so they know I'm there. They should be ashamed of themselves. Learn to use a toilet like the rest of us, seriously.

One last bit, I finished my latest powerpoint lecture yesterday. This one is about CSF fistulas; CSF is cerebrospinal fluid, which, according to Wikipedia (the world's most reliable resource), is a clear bodily fluid that occupies the subarachnoid space and the ventricular system around and inside the brain. A fistula is basically an abnormal connection between two vessels or between a vessel and the outside (like a leak), so a CSF fistula is just where CSF is leaking somewhere it shouldn't be. By the way, I might sound smart (and I am learning a lot), but I'm not. I still like playing video games and coloring.

A little embarrasing

2007-08-21T21:18:00.000-06:00

So we went for another bike ride today, and we went on a new "little" loop that ended up being both very long and very intense. My uncle and I were both totally sucking wind as we were nearing the end of the climb, and right as I pulled over to catch my breath for a second (and let my uncle catch up - shit yeah), this extremely nice man passed me. He was at least 70. Now, you need to understand, I'm starting to get used to getting annihilated in the foothills by the female cyclists of Boise, but to get creamed by an old man who was not even breathing hard (and I could see the concern in his eye, like he was worried I wasn't going to make it to the top and he would have to race down the mountain and call Lifeflight to get me), smiling his huge, dentured smile at me... it hurt bad. But he was very nice, and clearly having a great time, enjoying the afternoon. I still kind of wanted him to fall. A little.

We had fried chicken tonight for Megan's last night - it was awesome. My aunt does pretty darned good work, but I definitely miss my mom's creative, one-time-only concoctions (and pasta of any kind). My aunt and Megan leave tomorrow early, and then my uncle leaves Thursday evening; after that, the kids and I have the place all to ourselves until Sunday. That's right - kegger. $5 gets you all the Keystone you can drink. I guess I should say that I'm kidding so my brother doesn't buy a plane ticket.

Btw, I just heard today that Hugo Chavez, in addition to moving towards abolishing Venezuela's presidential term limit, is going to move his country's clocks forward a half an hour starting January 1, 2008. I read this in a short article on hotair.com (a pretty awesome website) called "Evil Clown's Megalomania Turns Stupid."

Oh, and I am now officially enrolled at BSU. I'm going to be taking Cell Biology MWF from 8:40-9:30. It will be cool, but I'm not exactly thrilled to be "back in school," because as we all know, I'm "too cool for school."

fine

2007-08-20T19:58:00.000-06:00

Well, at my brother's encouraging, I've changed my picture to one that's a little more recent, and a lot less homo-erotic. I'm really tired - today was pretty much an 11 hour day. My uncle gave the first presentation for the nursing staff today, and it went off with only a few minor snags (fortunately, I was prepared with a back-up, a plan B if you will, and potential crisis yet again led to perhaps my finest hour [btw, I peaked in high school]). Then he had clinic all day, which was pretty neat. We were in his new office today, and while it's not quite finished yet, it's a really nice, comfortable environment.

Today was the first day since I've been following him that my uncle saw a patient he really couldn't help. She has terrible, crippling back pain, but not from any problem that is surgically correctable. She has unfortunately already exhausted pretty much all of her other options, including some pretty radical solutions. The only option that remains is a fusion procedure which has a much higher probability of making her worse than of helping her. Since my uncle isn't willing to subject her to the risk, she might go and try to find a surgeon desperate (or greedy) enough to try it. It was very frustrating for all involved; as a doctor, my uncle naturally wants to help everyone who comes in to see him, but there are still many things which are beyond the scope of neurosurgery today. There are many problems for which there are just no good solutions yet, and this was one of those. All that can be done is to try and help the patient manage their pain, and that's not terribly satisfying for anyone involved.

On a lighter note, my uncle told me today that my signature is hesitant and 3rd grade-ish. He's blunt.

So tomorrow is my cousin Megan's last day in town before she leaves for school in Portland. We're having fried chicken and champagne. Just kidding. About the champagne. My aunt is driving out there with her on Wednesday, and my uncle will fly out to meet them on Thursday. They're all going to see the Body Works exhibit there, and I'm way jealous. That is all.

Speaking of Dancing...

2007-08-19T23:40:00.000-06:00

See below for afore-mentioned talk of dancing, but here's how it's really done; you may know this guy from this clip, but here's a longer clip of David Elsewhere dancing. He's pretty awesome.

Who's Bad?

2007-08-19T22:54:00.000-06:00

Well, my uncle is giving the first presentation that I "created" tomorrow morning. I'm going to be on-hand as the resident tech-expert (ha) and so he can point at someone if something goes wrong. Should be sweet. One bit of great news - though I left Kansas with a newly acquired badass wardrobe, I have now graduated to wearing scrubs pretty much every day. It's awesome. Literally like wearing pajamas to work.

My uncle and I had a pretty awesome mountain bike ride today - we're both getting much better and are moving a lot faster. This is both good and terrifying; you really do just have to not think about all of the bad things that could happen and just sort of go. It's a lot of fun, though, and great exercise.

Oh, and last night, my cousins Molly and Amy showed me some dance moves - so watch out world. It should be noted, however, that most of them are Michael Jackson inspired (btw, we watched a few of his music videos from back in the day, and "Bad" is officially the least "bad" a person has ever looked [ note the included picture]). Check this out to see MJ in his real prime. And here's another little tidbit to help people like me make it into/through medical school.

One last bit- Here's the quote of the day: "Oh wow, I'm really surprised she sent you to that place. She got really sick the last time she ate there." - my uncle when he heard that my cousin Megan recommended I eat at a local Chinese food place. I was pissed when I heard that, but it was a few days ago and I'm not sick yet. I've had enough fun with Chinese cuisine in my days...

btw

2007-08-16T13:59:00.000-06:00

If you're bored, and haven't heard about it yet, this is a pretty interesting read. Scientists are smart. If you haven't heard the background, click on their link "big data bug" in the first line. It's pretty ridiculous and it really puts the whole global warming thing in a new perspective.

BTW, I just came across this picture of my fam whitewater rafting this summer. It's kind of small, so you'll have to look closely, but see if you can tell why I think this picture is hugely funny.

note: a tech-guru I know pointed out to me that you can actually make the picture bigger by clicking on it. Technology. What will they think of next.

Stress

2007-08-16T12:17:00.000-06:00

Well, I just finished my first powerpoint presentation for my uncle. For those of you not in the know, that's what my uncle "hired" me to do; he gives weekly lectures to the nursing staff at one of his hospitals, and they wanted to start doing it electronically. My uncle is comedically tech-challenged (to the point where everyone makes fun of him at work - he literally has voice mails on his cell phone from months ago because he doesn't know how to check them. This amuses me because he's a brilliant neurosurgeon who uses the most advanced and complicated devices in imaging and surgery, but can't check his email. But I digress.) So, I've been charged with creating these powerpoint presentations, which works out well for everyone. My uncle can avoid wasting hours trying to figure out computers, and I get to buff my resume a bit.

I spent the better part of yesterday trying to learn the program and make a template (and get a little more comfortable with macs [sorry this link is a little bit crass, but it's way true]) but now I've got a template for future presentations, and I'm rolling. The one I just finished is about carpal tunnel syndrome which, contrary to popular belief, is something a neurosurgeon is trained to deal with. This is especially true of doctors like my uncle who are trained specifically in peripheral nerve problems. It's all pretty interesting stuff, and I'm excited to get working on the next one.

The rest of my time the last few days has been devoted to the AMCAS medical school application. It pretty much sucks. A lot. I had to hand-type every single class I've ever taken including class number, number of credits, grade, etc., even though they're going to get my transcripts anyway. Seems like a waste of time. Especially since I took about 150 different classes in my time at KU, for a grand total of 8,000 credit hours (give or take). Oh well.

So, I'm trying to keep my cool in the face of stress. Things are good here in Idaho, and I'm going to see my fam in November and December), and things are pretty good. But, there's a lot to do. I should probably get to it.

My Life is Way More Important than Yours. Here's Proof.

2007-08-15T01:42:00.000-06:00

Well, I've been in Idaho for about 9 weeks now, I think, and I'm going to take this opportunity to catch people up on exactly what it is that I've been doing. Because people care. And they really ought to. First, I should point out that I haven't started this "blog" until now because there really wasn't anything to report; I would lie awake at night imagining what my blog would look like, and every would-be post consisted of, "Today I studied. Then I ate and studied more. Then I went to sleep." I decided to spare my unquestionably massive audience and wait until something interesting happened. With that said, here's pretty much what I've been up to:

I'm in Boise, ID, living with family. I took the MCAT on the 24th of July (still waiting patiently for the scores), and I left feeling utterly dominated in every way. I don't want to talk about it. I'm living with my aunt and uncle, and their three girls, aged 16, 17 and 18. For those of you who are like I was and have never really lived with teenaged girls, let me tell you, it's an experience. More on that in the future, I would imagine. My uncle is a Neurosurgeon here in Boise, and I'm going to be following him around and working for him for the next year or so. I've just started all of this in earnest over the last week (today was my first day in scrubs, and yes, I did look amazing, thanks for asking). In the few short days I've been following him around, I've literally learned more than in a whole year of "music education" classes at KU. Shocking.

I have also, it seems, taken an interest in mountain biking, and am rapidly progressing towards novice status. It's terrifying. And I'm terrible. I guess I like the rush of knowing that I have trusted my life not only to a bike I've only just met, but also to my decidedly lacking abilities in maneuvering said bike. It's really fun, and I just got a new mountain bike, which makes me feel a little less close to death all the time.

Also worth mentioning is the fact that my grandparents live in Boise, as well, though they spend most of the summer at their cabin in McCall. I have been able to go up and visit pretty regularly, which is great (I've included a picture purely as a means of bragging).

I think that should pretty much cover it. So I should point out the purpose of this blog - I guess I want to let people kind of know what I'm doing (you're welcome, mom), but I also am going to use this as a way for me to remember the cool/interesting/important things I do and see whilst here in Idaho. As a result, this may get somewhat technical (see: boring). Sorry about that in advance. I also may periodically seize the opportunity to opine if the mood strikes me. So, thanks for reading (mom) - and get ready for a really wild ride! I just threw up in my mouth a little.