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This is a very intriguing link I found. It is a commerical that was shot and apparently filmed by accident some weird 'mist' or 'smoke' phenomenon with some strange whizzing noise that seems to have baffled people. They left it in the commercial... Take a close look and see what you think..
Last Thursday I was talkin to my friend Yat who was going up to boston for the weekend. I decided I needed a break from the craziness of NYC so I was like fuck it, let's go. Now boston doesn’t compare to NYC on all sorts of levels, but once in a while you need a break from the city to hit the countryside… And Boston is just that. So I dumped my civic DX with the moms, and snagged her lexus jeep for the trip.
Now there is traffic, and then there is serious traffic. The latter is what kept us from getting out of nyc for at least 2 hours, in a trip that shoulda taken us 30 min. You don’t know road rage till uve seen me that day. It was bumper to bumper until New Haven. We also called to find out that the party we were to attend at night had a no-jeans policy (damn bostonians), so Yat had to call our friend Shashank who we were visiting to buy him a pair of pants so he could party in beantown… That's just... gay. In order to make up lost time and make it before the partying ended, I flew down the mass pike at 100 mph, amazingly not getting a ticket… and not dying.
Fri night was a BU med school function at some place called Venu. A pretty large place with several rooms (room 2 had a Persian party… ahh only boston!) Now thing about boston is, you cannot compare nightlife to that in nyc. Everything shuts down at 2am—which is the peak of the night in nyc, and finding food late at night is virtually impossible, and the scene is dominated by students--which is not necessarily bad, but just different than the more varying social genres in the melting pot of nightlife nyc has to offer. Regardless, it was quite a fun time, we got healthy portions of grey goose, and talked to some nice ladies—the “im visiting from nyc” card never fails.
Being drunk in boston somehow reminds you of college, even if you didn't go there, and our drunken antics proved just that. The party ended at 2am as we left to walk home via getting pizza. So of course what is the next logical thing to do? Grab that shopping cart, have one of your 3 friends to jump in it as you race it down the walkway until you see a curb and decide to go over, when he flies out to the gravel scraping his hands. Of course it was next to a police station so these 2 flatfoots were badgering my other 2 friends behind us telling us "knuckleheads" to stop fucking around and go home. So we did.
The rest of our time was spent walkin in the lovely brisk autumn weather through boston, eatin some chowda, and shootin the shit with our entourage. Admist the Head of the Charles Regatta, The Pumpkin Festival (don’t ask, just be glad nobody was walkin through there on LSD), and the BoSox in the world series, it was quite a festive and enjoyable weekend to be in Boston. To top it off, I talked to my friend who said he knew some single girls in the area who we should meet. So I call them up, and we were going to meet after the game, but one of them got so hammered the others had to take her home. But I insisted, so one of them was able to meet us up and chilled for 20 min wit us at a bar and amazingly hit it off with Shashank who happens to live right nearby, and now they are going out! (my plan all along) I’d like to think I facilitated this match.… Now that’s the work of an honorable wingman if I don’t say so myself. All in a day’s work.
So Boston was fun. But again, it is a great place to visit once in a while, and get away form the city, but for us NYC peeps, it would be a drag to live in. If I magically get into one of the Harvard Hospital programs, It is going to be a tough decision, because hey.. I love my life in nyc, my friends and family, and partying it up before I’m old and withered…. and married.
Oh wow I found a rogue leftover vicodin.. Time to sleep tight...
Link of the Day: John Stewart on CNN's Crossfire. This shit is so funny, you must watch it!
So we are drivin back from a fun and exhausting weekend in Boston (details to follow), tired as hell from the weekend, eager to reach home, crusing down I-95 at around 75mph near the stamford area. It is pretty dark, and up ahead I suddenly see some white lights in the lane flash briefly... Then a flash of smoke... And then just a car swerve to the right... I slam on my breaks and see this little hatchback spinning out of control on the left lane (my lane), and just as I slow it down about 100 feet away it slams against the divider. Holy Shit!! That was a close one. At first I thought it was the asshole driving like a maniac in his little Geo Metro a few miles back, but then I realized it wasn't. It was a black woman in her 40s travelling alone. I told Yat I'm pullin over and drive up to the service lane--luckily the car came to a stop off of the main highway where cars and semi-trucks were flyin by at 80mph. I am still not sure what happened--whether she hit another car, blew a tire, or what, but it's a miracle nobody bashed into it! Thankfully there was 7 or 8 car lengths between us.
When I approach the wreckage, the car is rolled to a stop on the service lane, facing us, the front is bashed in, both sides of the car are banged up, a tire is blown, all this water (hopefully not gas) is leaking out the front, and there is this lady in the driver seat who looks shocked out of her mind and begins to lean her head against the window. Fuck, I hope she's ok! What would I find? I wondered if I would remember anything I've learned if I needed to actually do something! No air-bags in the car, but luckily she was buckled up. I get to the door and bang on the window and ask if she's ok, and she shakes her head saying No she's not. A good sign, at least she's responding! I tried to open the door but the body of the car was too badly damaged. I managed to creak it open, and she is in there crying hysterically and not making sense... Well at least she is breathing and alive. I tried to talk to her and calm her down for a bit, which didn't really work like it does in the movies. I asked her what hurts, she told me her knees and chest. I did a quick and dirty assessment, assuring her neck was ok and there was no overt trauma. Her knees were both blown out, and her left hand and fingers were broken in a few places. She also probably cracked a few ribs--slamming into a steering wheel with no airbag will do that to you. But at least there was no bleeding, and it seemed no serious injuries. Yat called 9-1-1 on the cellie, and they were able to use it to triangulate our location, and a unit showed up in less than 5 minutes... very impressive response time. I briefed the cop, and he was very nice and thanked us for our help. We hopped in our car and continued the way home. Our good samaritan task of the day was complete.
Anywayz.. an eventful end to an already eventful weekend in Beantown. Trip highlights to follow....
Interview Count: 6
What I did yesterday: Watch the last 6 episodes of Alias Season 3
What I did today: Played 3 games of Madden 2005 scoring 11 TD with the G-Men in one game
Recent Links: Dubya’s Highlights
The other day we were sitting around my friend’s apartment just shooting the shit, and a random thought was brought up. What the hell is Racketeering? We have all watched The Untouchables, Good Fellas, Casino, and other mafia-type movies, and there is always somebody who is being charged with Racketeering. But did anyone stop to think what the hell that really meant? We asked around, and nobody really knew. My answer was that it basically means “Mob Shit.” That was the closest answer I could produce. I mean, it’s always some sort of mob/mafia guy, and I figured it made sense. So when we finally looked it up, the definition of Racketeering as per dictionary.com was “To carry on illegal business activities that involve crimes.” The definition of Racketeer is “A person who commits crimes such as extortion, loansharking, bribery, and obstruction of justice in furtherance of illegal business activities.” Now if you ask me, that pretty much is the same as “mob shit.” So I guess I was right.
This weekend it was my friend Manoj’s bday, so he rolled up from Ohio to party it up in NYC. We went out to a couple of bars and lounges, people got hammered, met some people, and we did it how we do it. Now at one point we were planning on hitting up a house party of these girls we know from NYU—cute, fun, partying girls who probably have plenty of hot friends as well. One of our other friends, who just got out of a long relationship and is now single, expressed his interest of attending and getting out in the market to meet some new girls. But wait a minute, Manoj was very hesitant about this and brought up a valid point. This guy has had a girlfriend for multiple years, and hasn’t really been in ‘the game,’ therefore, he is a liability. He hasn’t played wingman in a long time, so if we entrust him to play our wing, he could screw up, and that means we get screwed and go home numberless and alone. He needs to prove his worth. So then I said that he needs Recertification. You don’t put a rookie into your first wide receiver spot without knowing he can get open and catch touchdowns—it’s the same way with wingmen. People in his situation need to take things o>ne step at a time before they get back in the game—this is crucial for the well being of the guys he is winging for. He needs to take it slow and pass the recertification exam—step one is to find a girl, talk to her, and hold her hand. One step at a time buddy. If all else fails, there is always hiring a Wing-woman
I have finally gotten through the 3rd season of Alias—it took me 3 days (that’s how chill of a rotation I am actually on right now). I wouldn’t say it’s better than the previous seasons, but the last bunch of episodes were quite exciting and good. I look forward to the new season. Now I have to rent the third season of 24 and watch that before the 4th season begins.
In other news, I am proud to announce that Hooters is coming to India. That’s right people, planning to recruit local women to wait the tables, the delicious wings and well endowed staff will be surfacing the Indian Sub-continent. So grab some wings and feast your eyes on some Babes of Bangalore and Bombay Beauties while watching world cup cricket! (I wonder how long it’ll take them to open one up in Pakistan!
If you haven't seen this yet, it is a must see--even if you don't watch indian movies, you'll find it entertaining. It's the presedential debate, bollywood style. The skit has Ali-G as the moderator of the debates, and a third candidate, that being Amitabh Bachchan. The Badmash crew strike again... Someone really has too much time on their hands.. Anyway, it's damn funny, so take a look..
Interview Count: 5
Just got Beth Israel added to the interview list today. I don't think I would go there, but my dean's letter writer is the chief of medicine there, so i figure an interview won't hurt. It is good practice I suppose.
So I was busted the other day as you can read over here. Looks like my times partying with models is becoming a scandalous affair. I mean reading this article, you get the picture that Pakistan takes the subject of drinking like performing surgery on crack.. I mean come on people, simma down. I think Pakistan needs to re-evaluate it's laws of prohibition. Anywayz, reading this made me feel like Michael Bolton from Office Space.
So I have discovered an amazing site (actually my friend Tuan told me about it): http://www.wingwomen.com. If you or someone you know needs a little help talkin to the ladies when you're out and about, then this is the resource for you. I think it's an amazing idea. Everyone is always complaining about how useless a wingman their friends are (for example my roomate Anuj, and my friend Yatin--quite weak I gotta say). So why waste your time with wingmen that don't even parallel Goose? (from Top Gun people) So what this site does is let you hire a wingwoman. That's right. For 50$ per hour (no tip required), you can get a wingwoman who wil facilitate you meeting girls when you're out in the bars and clubs. Frankly I think it is the perfect gift for those less-fortunate guys who are a little shy with the ladies--(or frankly have no game). They even offer franchise oppurtunities! So go check it out, and look at the links for the recent press, you can read about personal accounts of 'test' subjects by the NY-Times and others.
Hmm.. what else... Another day of clinic today. Why is it that every walk-in patient I get ends up going to the ER? Today I had this 80 year old lady who couldn't stand up without getting shortness of breath because of her heart failure. She had water halfway up her lungs, and her neck veins were bulging like water balloons. So off she went. I also started getting some of my patients coming back for follow ups. They really see me as their primary care doctor, even though I've seen them like twice! But it's definitely an interesting and satisfying experience.
Interview Count: 4
Consecutive Days of Going Out: 7
So this week I got 3 more interview requests to bring my to-date request total to 4 out of 28 schools applied. It's actually still pretty early right now, and the requests people receive early in the game is without the Dean's Letter (which is sent on Nov 1st), so most of the schools requesting interviews right now may not be the 'big guns' if you will. So the new ones are St. Vincent's in NYC, which is a second tier nyc school, Lennox Hill Hospital (which I basically applied so I could practice my interviewing, with very little intention of actgually going there), and Case-Western University, which is actually a good school, though it is in Ohio. (I am still not sure why I actually applied there, it may be good but do I want to live 3 years in Ohio?? Unlikely.)
So this past week has been a little out of hand. I have offficially gone out just about everyday since last Thursday. Amazing. This is what the Ambulatory rotation allows you to do, because it really invovlves very little work. I generally go in about 15 min late (i use the side elevators so nobody sees me), then I sorta space out for the next 30 min--I just stare at my computer surfin the net, but it looks like I'm working. I'd say in a given week, I really do only about 15 min of real, actual, work. (If you don't know what movie I'm extracting that from, you need to get your ass to blockbuster stat.) It's actually not as bad as office space, but I guess since I go out every night, and come in tired as hell at 9am having to see silly walk-in patients at Jacobi who, if they speak english, barely know their own medical history and medicaitons and are just so damn annoying to deal with!! But alas, such is life in the inner-city bronx health care system.
One huge bonus of this rotation, is that I don't work weekends! That also means holidays actually apply to me. That means good-ole columbus day. I can't remember the last time I had a 3 day weekend, or when I'll have another one for that matter. So I can't complain.
I was going to write a post about the debates, but I decided not to. I think every blog I read has their opinion on it, and I don't want to beat the topic to death. People think it was a tie, or maybe Kerry had the edge, I would say Kerry had the edge especially because his presence seemed more "trustworthy" to me. Bush has this dishonest and sinister smirk during his rebuttals, and Kerry seemed aggressive, but to the point. My biggest criticism on Bush was his failure to answer the question "What 3 wrong decisions have you made." He totally avoided the quesiton, mentioned something about appointments, and went on to defend his decision to go into Iraq. Please Bush. We've heard that. Once again it proves that he cannot admit when he is wrong, and if he continues to stick to wrong decisions and stubbornly run our country, we gona dig ourselves a deeper hole.
I really am running out of things to rant about lately. I always have something exciting I intend to write about, but then I end up forgetting. I have to remember my stories better. I feel the last few weeks have been a lull in my blogging--sort of like that time between the end of basketball and starting of football when there is a boring period of sports, where you have meaningless baseball and not even real motivation to watch sportscenter. But, tis a long wknd, and I won't let you down!!
If someone asked you what would really suck to discover when you got home from work, you may come up with various possible situations. But today I realized what would top my list, and this became a reality. That's right, I'm talkin about losing cable. I turn on my TV and what do I see? Snow. Not even that screen that shows the scrolling channel listings for the upcoming 2 hours, but all snow. Not even the network channels work? But why was this? The cable bill was paid was it not? My roomate Anuj assured me prior to his departure to LA he called and paid the cable bill, he wouldn't lie would he? So I call the cable company, and they inform me the last payment was in June! Good lord!! That son of a bitch. Now I am stuck with no cable. Not even network TV works. And this happens to be during my most chill rotation, so I have plenty of time to sit on my ass, veg, and watch TV. Today was even the Monday Night Football Game. I even have this new roomate, a girl from Berkeley who is subletting the infamous Anuj's room in the Bronx while she works in NYC. Poor girl is stuck here now with no TV. It's just not right.
So i called the cable company, and they said they had sent notices (which I never got), and they may have called me but my land line, which is the number on the account, is disconnected. So those bastards cut off the cable from "the pole." Whatever the hell that means. Basically for me it translates into paying the overdue sum, paying next month's fee, and paying for a reconnection fee of 40$. To top it off, they can't come till Thursday. Three days without TV. It's sad how much of an impact this is going to make in my life this week. And all the shows have just started on their new seasons. Ugh. I guess I can read a few books, watch a bunch of DVDs (at least I have tons), and surf the net. God forbid my internet was also down. If that was the case, I might as well jump out the window. Oh how our lives are dependant on such luxuries of the age of technology.
I just got this clip sent to me--One of Conan's writers gets IT support from the call center... in India. Literally.. Hysterical. Check it out.
Ambulatory care. What exactly is that you may ask? One of the few required rotations during 4th year, it basically translates into a clinic where patients are seen by residents and students. The clinic I am assigned to is at Jacobi Medical Center, one of the 2 city hospitals of the Bronx, and extremely ghetto I might add. Here is where you see slews of low-income, Medicaid, non-insured patients, who are taking a visit to the doctor’s office—only to be seen by residents medical students. Well if they are lucky they will get a 3rd yr resident, if not, they’ll get an unsuspecting 4th yr medical student. That's where I come in.
Now ambulatory is supposed to be a pretty chill rotation, so my schedule is not too bad (though compared to the other sites, it is the longest hours). From 8am-11am I am supposed to be at walk-in clinic. This is where patients have no appointment, and just come in with some acute complaint. So my first day, hoping my patient wasn’t only Spanish speaking, this guy comes in with fever, chills, aches, abdominal pain, and a BP of 70/60 while sitting, and no pressure while standing (and he almost passed out). I diagnosed him with diverticulitis—a potentially dangerous situation when you have tiny perforations in your colon, which could lead to a larger one warranting surgery. I had to get his bloods, put in an IV, and send him to the ER. Not exactly a standard office visit--quite busy, but at least I helped someone out.
After that I saw a bunch of different patients, walking in with various complaints from cough, chest pain, joint pains, to uncontrolled BP. It was a very weird experience, sitting on the other side of the doctor-patient axis, where these patients are looking to me as their primary care provider. The reality of the MD continue to draw nearer. Little do they know I am not even a doctor, but nevertheless, I feel confident enough to be able to manage their problems better than many interns I have seen in my day. After you listen to the case, take your notes, and decide on treatment, you go present the case to the attending. So fear not, it’s not like their lives are in the sole hands of medical students, there is some supervision. I then started scheduling patients for follow up to come back and see me. So essentially, I am their doctor, or at least for the next month. I had one lady come in as a new patient for a walk in, but I didn’t have time to fully see her because my shift ended in 30 min. I said she can just wait till another doctor comes to see her for a full evaluation, but she said, "No, I want to see you now, you sound like you know what you are doing." She will come back next week to see me for her initial visit.
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