100 things?

What 100 things do you want to do with the life you have to live?

I've made a list of 50 so far.

I've been thinking more about doing things lately.

Maybe it has to do with this being a brand new decade, full of possibilities and opportunities.

There is a new show coming to MTV* called The Buried Life. You might've seen the commercials for it. It follows 4 guys with a list of 100 things to do. They want to prove that anything is possible if you go after it.

I also had a lesson recently in Sunday School about doing things. I was handed a list that counted to 100 and asked to fill in at least the first five things. That was hard. But the other night, things just started coming to me.

Looking at the list on theburiedlife.com now, I can see that, surprisingly, a lot of the same things are on both my half-list and their whole one. Trust me when I say I never intended for that to happen. I swear I'm not copying. But I see a good 25 or so that I had on my list that they've written on theirs. I also see a few that I'll be adding when I finish up the second half of my list. I've always wanted to take a kid on a shopping spree for toys, but I've never put it in words.

A good number of the things on my list have to do with learning. I want to learn an instrument, I want to learn different languages, and I would love to learn the names of ALL of my cousins. Another majority of things have to do with doing physical things. I want to learn how to surf. Which, weirdly enough, is the exact thing (Out of all the extreme sports, what a coincidence!) on their list. I also want to climb a mountian. I'm not surprised at all that it's on their list as well. I think some of these things are ones that a lot of people would put on their list.

I find it interesting that certain things are different goals, but accomplished through the same means. For example, on their list, they have put "ride a rollar coaster". On my list, I have "conquer my fear of rollar coasters". Different goals, but they will both be checked off through riding rollar coasters.

I like how different people care about accomplishing different goals. For instance, I don't suppose the guys on The Buried Life would care to hug a penguin (#42, I think, on my list), but would love to get into the Guiness Book of World Records; something that I really don't care about doing.

So what crazy, random, or completely normal things are on your list?


*side note on MTV- Why don't they show Music Videos anymore? Why has the Music TeleVision channel turned into reality tv central? I wish they would to back to how they were back in the day. I still remember my first MTV video. Do you remember yours? I hate what MTV has allowed itself to become. It tries making new channels devoted to music, but ends up turning them into the same ridiculous circus act that the other channels have become. PLAY MORE MUSIC VIDEOS!! I think the last time I saw a music video on MTV was like, three years ago? Geez. Do yourself a favor, MTV, and get back to the basics!

Checkup from the Neck-up.

That was a line from Fern Gully. Such a good movie.

Anyway, so I've been collecting quotes from my American Government teacher for quite some time now (as I did with my Anatomy and Physiology teacher) and I don't care if this means I have one less quote to include in a future blog for fear of being too repetitious. It went a little something like this. . .

"When a government fails, who's fault is it? It's your fault. It's your neighbor's fault. It's your mother's fault. It's always been your mother's fault. Always."

. . . My first thought? Don't you be talkin' bout my momma like that.

My second thought? He is out of his mind.

There are no bells in college!

COLLEGE!!!!



We all know what it's like. We've seen "Animal House".

We've seen "Accepted".

We've all seen our share of college-themed movies and shows.

Some of us, me included, are actually in college ourselves!

And we know what it's like. The drinking, the partying, the tiny refrigerators with the too-small freezer that you can maybe fit a few dozen fla-vor-ice freeze pops in, the R.A.'s, the microwavable meals. . .they all give the impression of "yeah, I'm in college"




Now, we've all seen that show Saved By The Bell, right? The high school kids, the early 90's, and the antics that followed them through all four years of school?

You know you have. Don't act like you didn't laugh that time Slater and Zack had to fix Mr. Belding's car before he got back to school but the shop kids took the whole thing apart. Oh those roughneck auto shop kids; always making things more difficult for Zack and the gang!
The hilarity is almost overwhelming!

Now, like a good show about kids in school, it stuck to the time limit of four years. So the kids went from freshman year all the way to graduation in a very timely manner.

But in 1993, they tried to send the kids to college. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of higher education, but anyone can see why Saved by the Bell: The College Years only lasted one season.

While they attempted to cover the basics of fraternities, sororities, and raising money to go to spring break in Cancun, they failed to grasp college as a whole.

Examples-

• They went to all of their classes. And when Kelly skipped a class or two, Zack yelled at her and told her that she'd "never amount to anything" if she continued the behavior.

• They all went to the same college and stayed best friends forever. Zack even married his high school sweetheart in the season finale! (oh, come on, you know you weren't planning on watching this anytime soon!)

• They were all best friends with their Resident Advisor who is an ex football player and way too old to be in college. (NOTE: My apologies. There's no such thing as "Way too old to be in college", and I should not have said that. My anatomy and physiology study buddy last semester was in her 60's at least and making better grades than me! So my bad on that one.)

• I didn't see a single illegal substance during the whole one episode I watched.

• And lastly- There were no Bob Marley, John Belushi, Scarface, or generic hot chick posters anywhere!

Oh Saved by the Bell. You disappoint me.

Hopefully, one day, we'll have a show that tells it like it is. A show that does for college what The Office did for desk jobs. But for now, we'll have to either put up with ABC's "Greek", or just stick with National Lampoon's classics.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go check out some Collegehumor.

Fans

I have no fans.

And before you start thinking I'm emo or something, let me explain.

What I mean by fans is hard to explain. Part of it comes from the site "friend or follow". I've been checking it for awhile. And I kind of hate seeing people who I'm following but aren't following me back.

I mean, in some cases, it's fine. I'm following around 4 romanian twitterers, because I am in the process of learning the language. Eu stiu putini, dar nu vorbesc foarte bine. I'm working on it. Anyway, as a step in learning it, I follow these 4 romanian twitterers to measure how much I know, and compare it to how they type. It's helped alot so far with understanding spelling and, since alot of their tweets are in the first person, helped with understanding the grammar a little as well. I don't care if they're following me back. I really don't. I'd feel guilty if they followed me just because I followed them.

And I also hate seeing the number of people who are following me but I'm not following them back. Because I don't know how many people are empty followers, or how many are spam, or how many are just trying to get followers of their own. I don't count these people as fans because I have no interaction with them. I never hear from them, I never communicate with them, and I am pretty sure alot of them don't care. But I can't speak for every single one.

Now, I found friend or follow through a friend, and since it's one of those sites where you can pretty much put in any username and review their stats, I checked out a few other twits' fans friends and following lists.

See- some people I don't mind if they follow me or not. I really don't. But when I consider someone a friend and follow them on twitter, and they don't feel the same way and don't follow me on twitter, I feel bad. Especially if it's someone with, say, 420 followers (don't bother checking, it's no one who actually reads this blog, I'm sure) who only follow 58 people, and one of those people isn't me. Sure, the person responds to my "@replies", but since they don't follow me, they respond through direct messages. And even then, only if I'm "lucky" enough for them to even notice I've repied to a tweet in the first place.

This sort of thing is something I've come to sort of despise. It feels like hero-worship. As if I am just a lowly fan, and they don't realize that respect is a two-way street. I respect people, I really do. I respect alot of people, but when it gets to the point where I'm the only one showing any respect in a "friendship", I kind of lose the respect I feel for the person.

Now, I hope hope hope that I have no one like that. No one that I've snubbed because of a "I'm better than you" complex that shouldn't exist. If you feel I'm ignoring you unjustly, let me know! I know how it feels. I definetly hope I have no "fans" and hope to death that I only ever have friends.

(I have since stopped following the person on twitter, because I felt like a number, not a friend. Though I still read their blog, I don't know how to handle the situation. One of the last times I've commented, I was made fun of by a fellow commenter and the blogger's indifference has discouraged my willingness to keep up with them at all, but I'm hanging in there to see what happens. I always thought I was more than "just a fan" and more like friend to this person, but we'll see. I'm beginning to lose interest.)

Wellsphere

Alright, so you all remember my post about the company that was trying to get my content on their site? If not, refresh your memories here.

I politely declined their invitation. Hee hee.

But the aforementioned company was a place called Wellsphere.

Well, as I mentioned in that post, alot of other medical bloggers had been contacted about also allowing their content to be on the site.

But the catch was, if you offered to put your posts on the site, they became the intellectual property of Wellsphere.

This catch was written in small print in the Terms and Conditions page. And everyone knows that rarely anyone reads the Terms and Conditions when signing up for things. I know I don't alot of times.

But since then, I've started to!

So Wellsphere and it's content provided by over 1,500 bloggers has recently been sold to Health Central Network.

Which means all of it's intellectual property is now HCN's intellctual property. And they got money for it.

None of the bloggers who contributed to the site saw as much as a penny.

Fair? I think not. After you've checked my blog post and the two at the bottom, feel free to spread the word. Also- make sure to check out Dr. Anonymous' BlogtalkRadio show tonight! We'll be discussing Wellsphere and it's diabolical plans!
For further reading, see these blog posts. Written by very smart women who put it much more eloquently than I ever could.
Dr. Val sums this situation up very nicely here.

Helen Jaques provides an amazing take on all of this.

Sugar and Spice but I'm not very nice.

Oh guh-ross! Barbies?? Blegh! I do not like Barbies. The doll that looks like it belongs in the playboy mansion. The doll that comes with . . . *shudder* Unicorns and. . . blegh, adorable pink bunnies, and even worse-

A career!

I just saw a commercial for Barbie. And let me tell you. I wasn't wrong to distrust those plastic boob havin' , 1950's Doris Day lookin', unattainable goal projectin' . . . punks!

Growing up, I played with toy dinosaurs. Those things are awesome. And they were the kind that had the name on the belly so you could tell what dinosaur you were playing with. I had two Pachycephalosauri who constantly bumped heads with my one triceratops. One Anklyosaurus, who liked to bludgeon my Iguanodon, a Tyranosaurus Rex, and an orange one that was bigger than the t-rex, but didn't have a name on the bottom. But he was a carnivore for sure.

Anyway, so whilst I was playing with my dinosaurs, my best friend was playing with barbies. When she brought barbies over to my house, I would play with them, yeah. But they'd be doing something awesome. Like re-enacting some scene from Rambo, or flying.

My mom never bought me Barbies. And I thank her endlessly for that.

This commercial I saw just a few minutes ago had the usual Barbie commercial song. Stating that you can "Be who you want to be! B-a-r-b-i-e!"

And you know what career they were giving her today? Today- the inaugural day of the first Black President. Today- nine years and twenty days into the twenty-first century. Today! The time when women can not only vote, but can also have careers and lives outside of housework and homemaking!! Hallelujah the strides we've made!

And today- Barbie was cooking. Barbie was making pie, I think, to be more specific.

Now, what's wrong with cooking? Nothing- lots of people do it. What's wrong with pie? Nothing, I enjoy pie, and I myself can make a pretty mean apple pie.

What's wrong with the commercial? Everything. Barbie is a sort of example for girls out there. A sort of spokeswoman if you would. And you know what she was telling your little girl? She was telling your girl to be who she wants to be. . . as long as it's feminine.

See, I have this sort of problem with these sorts of ads. I have a definite problem with multiple toy commercials. Commercials for barbies, commercials for hot wheels, commercials for video games, etc.

Any commercial that tries to draw a line and put "toys for little boys" on one side and "toys for little girls" on the other gets on my last nerve.

And McDonalds is the worst! Every month or so, they come out with a new promotion. Giving away new toys in their happy meals for little boys and girls to enjoy. What's the big deal? I'll TELL YOU what the big deal is! When you order a happy meal for your kid, they give you a specific toy based on the gender of your child. If you have a little boy, he gets a hotwheels car. If it's a girl, she probably gets a pretty little barbie.

But what if your little girl doesn't want to be restrained by the ideals of society? What if all your little girl wants to do is race her brother down a mountain with a wicked awesome car? Well too bad, little girl. You'll lose that race. Because you know what? Barbies don't come with wheels, specialty paint jobs and amazing modifications (. . . insert joke here). Barbies come with dresses and aprons and cleaning supplies. And those don't stand a chance against brother's new corvette up on that racing mountain. Not a chance.





Little Tikes Hot Wheels Car Adventure Mountain




Weird but relevant- Whenever I get happy meals, I always have to specify that I want a "boy toy" (. . again, insert your own joke here).

Christmas needs to get here already!!

Okay, so I love Christmas. I really really do. The little kids getting excited, the toys in the store, the smell of winter, that chill in the air. Not to mention the christmas songs on the radio, the "magical" tv specials, and that feeling in the air on a cold winter's night when you're cuddled up on the couch with a mug of hot cocoa, there's a Christmas song playing gently in the background, a fire crackling in the fireplace and the Christmas tree glowing brightly in the dark night.

And I wish it would hurry up and get here! I mean, I know I still have shopping to do. I'm a procrastinator. But I don't mind shopping. Just the other day, the heavy-set hispanic clerk at the local dollar store said I had a nice smile (I smile all the time, smiling's my favorite)! How cute is that? I had a little skip in my step the rest of the day from that little self-esteem boost.

But other than a bit of shopping, I'm soooo ready for Christmas to come! I can't stand waiting! The presents are piling up under the tree and it's getting colder and colder outside. We've always had tons and tons of presents under the tree. Growing up, there were 8 people in the house all buying (or having mom buy for them what they picked out themselves) presents for everyone else. That's 8 people buying one present each for Mom, Dad, and each of their 5 siblings. And then Santa would always fill our stockings with more goodies than we ever could imagine. Big family, big Christmas.

Now that the family has grown up a little more, we're including two nephews and a cousin/roommate who will be getting and giving presents! There are going to be a ton of presents under that tree! It's going to look awesome!

My favorite part of the holiday season is giving. I know it sounds lame and like I'm only saying what I'm supposed to say, and I'm not going to lie to you. I love getting presents. But it's really not so much the stuff, or what I get. I like seeing what sort of thing people get me. For example:

My big sister always gets me some sort of girly stuff. Like those baskets with lotion and body wash and things. One year she got me perfume. Britney Spears' Curious perfume to be precise. This sort of gift shows not only that people give the type of gifts they love to receive, but also the kind of gifts they think the person would need or like. I used to hate the gifts she gave because I didn't like "girly stuff" or I thought she was trying to send a certain message with her perfumes and soaps. But I've come to appreciate the thought that went into it. No, she doesn't think I smell bad, and no, she doesnt' think I'm a slob. She knows that having those things for her helps her feel better about herself and makes her feel pretty. And I think that by giving those things to me, she's trying to make me feel better about myself. Which is awesome, because those gifts work. She always knows exactly what to get me to make me feel like a grown up woman, and not a little girl. And I deeply appreciate it.

So when I give presents, I like to show people how well I know them. I love showing my mom that I was totally paying attention that time we were in the store and she was eyeing that cute towel set. I like to show my brother that I totally get his taste in music and know that he would love to have this cd or that record. I love showing my big sister that even though we might not see eye to eye on the things we like, I still care enough to get those things for her.

The message we send when giving gifts is priceless, and helps to convey feelings and emotions. These messages help to define the relationships we share with those around us. And even if we lose that one gift from our cousin we didn't really need but still liked, or keep that boring gift in our closet to re-gift next year, or even if we use that really awesome gift over and over until it's worn down, it isn't really the item that matters. It's what we're saying by giving it.

So this holiday season, I'm going to pay attention and see how my presents are recieved. I'm going to try to get the perfect gift that will convey the message I want to send with exactness. And remember that it's not the size or the price of the gift - it's what you're saying by giving it, and how you can convey your love in the right way to the right people.

(Just a random side note: That little baby crab that Dora helps out by taking it to it's mommy is adorable. I love that episode.)

I love computers!! And a few realizations.

Okay, so not a weird way at all!





And don't even think about saying "well if you love computers so much, why don't you go marry one?!" because that is soooo fifth grade. And sooo my joke.





But the truth of the matter is, I'm awfully fond of computers and the Internet and all of the useful things that go along with them!





The other day, I got a text from my friend in Washington State (who I met online) and he was on vacation. But something came up, and he needed to contact our mutual friend in Nottingham, England (who we both met online) about some urgent business concerning him, and yet another mutual friend who lives down in Alabama (who also is one that we met online)! I got the text after school, and as soon as I was home, relayed the text to my friend in England who appreciated the help and took care of things from there.






It made me feel special to be a part of this sort of "grapevine" of messages. Like I was in that movie 101 Dalmatians (the cartoon, not the real life one with Hugh Laurie, Jeff Daniels, and Glenn Close) and it was that part where the dogs have their little "barking chain" thing going on? Not that I am anything close to a dog, but the basic concept was close enough for comparison.





Now, I have a considerable amount of online friends, colleagues, acquaintances, etc. who I communicate with on a daily/weekly basis. And I feel connected! I have three different pals in Romania, two in Wales, three in England, and one each in Ireland, Russia, Turkey, India, and South Africa. And about a dozen others across the United States!





And friends that I've made in my life that have made their way across the globe and are now in places like Cambodia, Argentina, and Hawaii.

And those people have dozens of contacts around the world as well! It is amazing what a small world we have!



And it's getting smaller every day.



I have a friend here in SC who comes over and chats about once a month. She's really awesome, and very very interesting to talk to. All of her kids have moved out of the house. I have met only one of them, but I hear her talk about the others and feel like I know them.



Just the other day, I had this friend over and we were having a nice conversation about why I was learning Romanian and about the things that each of us know about Europe and other far away places. And as it turns out, her son is really into Gypsy music. And we chatted about that for awhile. She asked if she could give him my e-mail address and I said that that would be fine, and I gave her the one I use for personal interactions. And she also mentioned that he had a blog, and suggested I check it out.


So I checked out his blog, and my mind was blown.


You'll understand why in a minute.


I guess. . . growing up in the South, I don't really realize how . . sheltered. . . I've been. Especially growing up in a LDS family. And I realize now that having friends out there in the world doesn't really give me an accurate view of the world itself. The life I live goes by like a slow, quiet, gentle river. My constant sub-urban surroundings have sheltered me from the chaos on either side. I've never known city life. I think I know it from movies and books, and fancy magazines, but those never tell the truth about what it's really like. They dress it up and throw it out there on display for everyone to see, but for no one to really experience.


Growing up Mormon helped as well. I've had LDS friends as long as I can remember. And it's WONDERFUL! I rarely hear any foul language, I never have to deal with any smoking or drug use. I don't have to be around alcohol. Being surrounded by people who share the same beliefs as I do has made my life easier than most. I know my friends would never ask me to do anything that is against my standards or beliefs, and I know that as long as I am with them, my values and morals are safe. I'm constantly uplifted mentally and spiritually by the people I surround myself with, and it's splendid. Sure, I know about the things that happen in the "real world" and can tell right from wrong, but I really haven't had to make that many decisions on it. I've never been offered drugs or alcohol or cigarettes. (Although I'm sure I'd say no if I were offered.) And I haven't seen firsthand the effects that these things have on people, families, or friends. I have never been around anyone who was intoxicated. I've never been around anyone whose life has been torn apart from drugs or some other dangerous addiction. I don't really "Know" what it's like to see someone throw their life away through substance abuse.


Watching movies, I've come to a certain sense of what is "normal". I have ideas and concepts of what a "normal" person is like and, for the most part, expect that everyone is just as "normal" as everyone else. I recognize different cultures and traditions and religions, but all in all, I think to myself, everyone is really the same.


-Back to the "Mind Blowing Blog"-


And then I stop by that blog. And I see things that make me think. Just seeing his video of him riding the L train at 6:00 in the morning in New York and riding a bike through the streets going from work to home blows my mind! There are people who live in New York and they actually ride trains and they work all night and get home early in the morning. There is a big, busy city there that I personally would be scared to go anywhere in without my mother's permission and a printout of directions from Google maps. And I certainly would never think that anyone would walk to where they need to go! Much less ride a bike!


I guess I never really realized that those people on the streets are actually transporting themselves from home to a job or to school or to a party or from a friend's house back to home or something like that. I never really realized when I watched those movies that Hey, this is actually their form of commute! And I saw that video and I absolutely went nuts with this realization. Why hadn't I thought of that before? Why hadn't I realized? Why am I just now seeing this??


And then this guy whose blog I stopped by, I see that he's not Joe schmo office worker calling a cab to take him to his apartment or to his cubicle. I see that he works in a bar. His culture and surroundings and social life are completely different than anything I've ever seen. I started to realize that maybe not everyone is the same. I guess people are different. And can be unique without being those attention-starved posers you see in the halls of your high school. This whole different "sub-culture" of punk gypsy bands and going to places, and trying to break into "the biz" (my word, not his) of tattoo artistry. This life that he leads is an eye opening view!


Not to say that since reading his blog, I'm now an expert on the world. I'm not. I'm still protected and sheltered here at home. I'm just a little more aware now. And a little less. . . brainwashed by media portrayals.


Needless to say, I'm going to stop by more often.


The Aforementioned Blog: Captain

Finally

. . . My dad has a job.

In Macon, GA. Of course, I'll be staying here in Greenville for awhile, but I hope that I can eventually move down there with him.

This is making me look at different medical schools down there, of course. GA has a very nice selection of medical schools.

First of all, Mercer University School of Medicine, which is in Macon, and therefore would be the closest one to home. Also, Daddy went to Mercer University to get his degree in whatever he has a degree in. (sorry dad, I don't really pay attention to those sorts of things.) I'd finally be able to wear that old shirt of his and be showing my school spirit at the same time!

Second- Emory University School of Medicine. I've heard good things about this one. Very good things. It looks like it is the largest one with 11,098 students (fte '02).

Third- Medical College of Georgia. I must admit, I haven't ever heard of this one. Doesn't look like it's as big as Emory or as picky as Morehouse.

Fourth- Morehouse School of Medicine. They love accepting minorities and women. I have at least one of those attributes, right? This is the smallest one with only 219 students (fte '02).

I don't really know, without doing more research which one I'd choose. I might not even go to medical school in GA. It's just a thought.

posi+ives to Med School in GA:

• In-State tuition
• I used to live in GA, and I would love to live there again!
• I know have a nurse friend who works at one of the hospitals in Atl.
• I wouldn't be in an unfamiliar environment.
• The Atlanta Temple is so beautiful and being closer would give me more of an opportunity to stop by.

Negatives?

• It's fricking hot down there!
• The family would only be a short drive away.
• My Crazy, blogslacking speed-demon cousin would be down there making the roads more dangerous.
• They're horrible drivers anyway down there.
• The Jeff Foxworthy radio show might accidentally find it's way to my ears.

So anyway, that's what's going on lately. What I'm thinking about and what's happening around here. Still haven't gotten my acceptance/rejection letter from BYU-Idaho. I just today mailed in that application for the made-for-me job up at the hospital. (With my credentials, I'm a shoe-in. Let's just hope they see it that way as well.)

On a side note- my hair looks very nice today. I wish you all could see it.

I'm so proud of myself.

I was able to, for the first time in, like, forever (that was soo valley girl), go through the list of links that I have over there and read everyone's most recent posts!! I found a variety of wonderful stories. Some were heartbreaking, some were inspiring, and some were just plain hilarious.

I also found that my Best Buddy was inspired by a recent post of mine to post about something that bothered her on the news. I must say, she is much better at it than I am. The way she does "righteous indignation" is comparable to the way Emril cooks a fancy meal. It's incredible watching how gracefully she does it. She is one classy girl. Thanks for letting me be your muse, buddy!

All in all, it's been a good day for blog post reading! Sometimes I forget why I added certain blogs, and then it all comes back to me when they post lovely pictures and stories.

But I have gone through all the way from the top to the bottom and read everyone's most recent blog posts. Bravo, all! Bravo.

Another Great Show!

Although I was a tad bit late to this one, tonight's show was a very fine one! Doctor Anonymous was interviewing Dr. Bruce Campbell, and I enjoyed that very much!

I laughed when, near the middle of the show, Dr. Val called in and kind of took over the interrogation for awhile. Dr. A and Dr. Val make a very nice tag-team.

I called into the show near the end using the convenient "click to talk" button that Vijay had tried and pronounced as deficient. I was very nervous, but it was fun, and talking to Doc. A. was pretty exciting! I was glad that I did it, and maybe next time I try, I won't feel so awkward doing it.

So all in all, it was a pretty fun show, and there were more people than I've seen in the chatroom! I'm pretty sure those of you who know me in real life (mom) might be interested to hear what happened when I called in. Just click play on the player to the right of this post if you wanna check it out. I don't call in for awhile, but the rest of the show is amazing!

I thought it was funny when the chatroom started saying how I sounded like I was from California. I don't think I've ever even been to California! But (and no offense to you hillbillies and hicks out there) I have to say THANK GOODNESS I don't sound like I'm from the south. I'm glad I've been able to avoid sounding like a Jeff Foxworthy redneck.

My A&P Champion

So I thought I’d take the time to look back at The Champ.


The Champ was my nickname for my Anatomy and Physiology professor last semester. He was one of the more amazing teachers I have ever had. Mostly because he would go off on tangents about random things and we would learn all about how something he did “Back in ‘Nam” relates perfectly with the numbering of the Cranial Nerves.


But at least it helped us remember to some degree.


So I had, throughout the semester, written down quotes from The Champ that were memorable in some way or another. The reasoning behind this, initially, was so that I could show them to one person or the other sometime later for a couple laughs.
But as I gathered quote after quote, I realized that I had a pretty good number of them, and that I could compile a list of them all.


So here is the finished product. The original quotes, and what they meant or referred to, so that you all can enjoy a little humor courtesy The Champ.


1. Bottom Line- Whenever The Champ asks you what this is, you must respond with “Money!”.


2. Criminently!- An expression of frustration used when The Champ finds yet another mistake in the textbook.


3. Hogwash- The word you hear when The Champ has just read something out of the book that is ridiculous to him. Ex: They’re not Electrical Impulses, they’re Action Potentials!


4. Malarkey- This word is used when there is some fantastic claim in the news or popular media that The Champ knows to be false, and wants us all to know it.


5. Folks- This is used when he addresses the class as a whole.


6. Kiddies- This is the word he uses to address that one group of kids in the back who are making noise when he is trying to start the class.


7. Ylo- Apparently, this is how The Champ spells yellow.


8. “I have no morals after final exams”- The Champ on how he doesn’t take any phone calls after the finals are done.


9. “Just like poker, ya plays yer money and ya takes yer chances”- Apparently, this is how The Champ explains the risks and benefits of being out in the sun.


10. “When I got to Vietnam, I was blowing up everything I could get my hands on”- The Champ on Explosives. This is story was somehow connected to the Organ of Corti.


11. “We all start out as little girls. Go home and tell that to Fang, it’ll get him right in the Macho!”- This is The Champ’s explanation of genetics and chromosomes.


12. “If you have motion sickness, even one fluid movin’ is enough to make you blow your tubes. Lookin’ for Ralph. Huey.” – The Champ’s vast vomiting vocabulary. This was in relation to the semicircular canals and how they affect your equilibrium.


13. “That’s real whiz-bang stuff right there” This is The Champ’s way of explaining that something is complicated.


14. “Don’t look at the clock now! I wanna spend another 10 minutes telling interesting Navy Stories!” – About everybody checking the time near the end of class.


15. “Who? Your feet don’t fit no limb”- Used when someone was stuttering in the process of asking about someone else.


16. Turnin’ and Burnin’- This is apparently what happens when a muscle is at peak levels of activity.


17. That's as cool as all get out- This was an exclaimation used to express The Champ’s feelings of amazement.


18. “If some guy in a pickup truck pulls out in front of you on the highway, what happens to your heart rate/blood pressure?”- A question that is frequently heard when talking about the cardiovascular system. The answers (for those with no common sense) are that your heart rate goes up and your blood pressure increases.


19. Packaging Peanuts- How The Champ describes loose areolar connective tissue.


20. “Why do we have butts? I’ll tell ya why. No, they’re not for sittin’, they’re for walkin’!”- During our lab discussion about the pelvic girdle.


21. Yer Sideburns- The masseter muscles.


22. Yer Smilers- The risorius muscles.


23. Yer Spitter- The buccinator muscles.


24. Yer Frowner- The depressor angulis oris.


25. Thingamabig- Word used to describe something large when The Champ can’t think of the word.


26. “When you’re out at night sneaking around at night being sneaky”- The Champ on when the rod-shaped photoreceptors in the eye come in handy.


27. “See?? It looks like a bird!!”- Apparently, this is how The Champ sees the saggital cross section of the Diencephalon. The hypothalamus is the beak, the intermediate mass is the eye, and the choroid plexus is the eyebrow.

This is also an attempt to get this pre-med blog back on it's pre-med topic. I've been slacking lately. So here's to The Champ. And to my pre-med Anatomy and Physiology class. It was a good one.

They call it "Myrmecophobia".

And it was the reason I was sobbing in the middle of the movie theater this afternoon.

I went to go see the newest installment in the Indiana Jones series. It was going fine most of the movie. I was laughing and getting excited and very much enjoying the show. . .

Until about three quarters of the way in. Where there is a scene with millions of ants, all about the size of a Hot Wheels car.

I saw the first one and thought it was a scorpion. But upon closer inspection, and with a better camera view, it became clear that this was certainly a creature (at least in my mind) to be feared.

I thought to myself "Oh... my . . . goodness". As I realized where this was leading. So, I turned around and looked back at my family who were a row behind me because there were about five empty seats in front of them when I came back from the restroom, so I had taken one of those instead of scooting through the seats in front of people to reach the seat I had left.

So there I was, not looking at the screen, and doing fine- until the sound came. The sound of those giant ants swarming. The sound of the characters on the screen freaking out. The sound of someone crying.

Someone is crying? Where? I look at the faces behind me, scanning each one for tears, or a blotchy complexion.

I feel a tear fall on my hand, and I realize that the person crying is me.

I was actually crying. Me.

And right then, I realized how scared of them I actually was. Right there, with my face pressed into the back of my movie theater seat, sobbing and sniffing with my eyes screwed shut, a hand over one ear, and the other clutching onto my mother's hand for dear life, I realized that it wasn't just a matter of "I don't like ants because they're creepy".

I know it sounds weird that I didn't know. But I really didn't.

The scene went on for what seemed like hours, but I was later told that it was really only about eight minutes, until I was finally able to face the screen, and watch the rest of the movie.

This irrational fear and feeling of terror at that scene had forced me to wonder- Why am I so scared?

And after searching my memories for a second, I came upon one that I can point the blame at.

When I was young, probably around 5 or 6, I was playing at a park close to my house with my mother. I had found the neatest pile of sand ever right there among the woodchips. It was huge! I couldn't wait to sink my hands into it. And it was after doing just that when I realized that it wasn't a pile of sand after all, but an antpile. I was covered in ants in a matter of seconds, and I forget what happened after that, but mom says that we were able to hose me down and get all the ants off, but I was covered in antbites.

And that one time back in the early 90's. More than ten years ago, that moment in time was what lead to this fear.

And it was the reason I was sobbing in the middle of the movie theater this afternoon.

They call it "Myrmecophobia".

I almost peed myself a little bit.

Because I was so excited!! About what? Well how about the fact that someone awesome visited and actually commented on my blog? I feel like I just met Johnny C. McGinley, or Brad Pitt or something. Yes, it is that big to me. I mean, just because this person isn't in movies or on tv, doesn't mean it's not a big deal.

Do you see that screenshot? What's the name up there? Can you tell? That's right, it's Doctor Anonymous. And here I was thinking that the third comment on this post was going to be my mom or something like that (She finally has joined the ranks of bloggers). Never in my wildest dreams (sorry for the lame cliche) had I ever imagined that Doctor Anonymous, whom I've spend all my spare time the past week listening to via downloaded podcasts on my zune, would come here, to Medi-Medi, and comment on something that I had written! And he wished me a happy birthday! How awesome!! I don't know about y'all (Yes, I said it! And why not? I live in the south!) but I was pretty excited. And now that I know what time his show is on, I'm going to be sure to catch it next week at 9:00pm. I've already set my phone alarm that tells me to do everything.

So, if you want to know where I'll be next Thursday night at 9:00, the answer is in the comment. I'll be over at blogtalkradio.com in the chatroom listening into the podcast and watching the Dr A cam.

Also, I've decided that it's probably time for me to decide on a profile pic. You know how Aggravated DocSurg has John Belushi as his or how Dr. A has a stethescope on a bag for his. I need to find one that is me. One to help me so that I'll be better known. I'm not looking to put up a picture of me, like Val Jones, because I'm not half as photo-friendly as she is. Just a picture that says "ME" all over it. But not literally of course.

Grand Rounds and Google

Gruntdoc's been having a pretty good week for posts. His April Fool's edition of Grand Rounds was amazing! I jumped from blog to blog, to blog to blog to blog to blog enjoying Grand Rounds even more than ever, and I'm still not done reading all of the amazing submissions. Maybe someday I'll have something to submit to GR. That'd be nice. Anyway, I now have a whole load of mediblogs to add to my link's list. Doctor Anonyomus' Video Hosting was by far my favorite. His commentary on the whole thing was amusing and insightful at the same time. This week has been , by far, the best Grand Rounds ever. Thanks to Nick Genes, the Grand Rounds coordinator for putting together yet another wonderful Grand Rounds. You picked all the right people to help.

Next up on my list, Google's version of E-mail. I've wanted to mention this for the longest time, but I haven't really thought about it when posting. Gruntdoc's post on Google's april fool's joke reminded me.

I have a gmail account. When signing up, they say "no more spam!" or "less spam than everyone else". That's a load of hoo-ha. With my current e-mail provider, I get anywhere from one to three spam messages a day. Whenever I log in to gmail, my "spam box" is loaded by the hundreds with spam mail messages. I really am thinking of getting rid of this gmail account. Mainly because it's redundant. All I really do with it is use it to send or receive things that I think are taking too long on my normal e-mail provider. But even that is just a show. It doesn't really go faster. It usually works when sending, but receiving depends on when it's sent. So there's not much difference there. I really only do it to keep the wait from being boring. I do not recommend gmail.

On a seperate note, I have been playing games on MSN Messenger. My friend recently pointed out to me that MsnMess. had this feature. It's a wonderfully enjoyable experience. Especially when I'm the winner. Which I am when we play Seven Hand Draw Poker and Competetive Sudoku. But he's better by far at 8-ball pool. It's been very very fun and I hope to eventually try out all of the games. We've been having a blast.

I wish I could post audio clips on here. Ones that I had gotten from my other friend. He is practicing his Captain Falcon voice. It's pretty funny. Especially when he asks for a peanut butter sandwitch. I'll see if I can't grab a few snatches of audio gold from him.
update: got some!





Finally - Why does This Guy have to be so darn good looking? It's kind of annoying.

Children Never Grow up

Whilst forcing my young nephew to sit at the table and finish his breakfast, I have made a discovery. It's a small one. I might just be about the last person on the earth to realize this, but I am happy with myself for it.

For breakfast this morning, My Young Nephew wanted something he hadn't tried before. I insisted that it wasn't very tasty, and that he might want to have something else. He screamed and cried and jumped up and down until I, frustrated with him, gave it to him with the warning that he must finish the whole thing or he will not be having lunch. That will be his breakfast, lunch and dinner until he finishes it. He agrees airily as he opens it up and starts munching. He gets about halfway done before he decides that he is bored with it, and starts to throw it away to avoid having to eat the rest.

About midway through this battle of wills, I realized that alot of the times, grown ups are like that too. We adults are so adament about starting something new, like a relationship, or a job, or some other sort of thing that takes commitment, and we just dive straight in. We don't think about the possibility that we might get tired of it halfway through. We commit to something without really knowing what that commitment means. Alot of the times, we find that it wasn't what we wanted at all, and we try to just throw it away to avoid finishing what we started.

I am thinking about relationships. Both of my sisters have gone through seperations. Both of them are because people are unwilling to fully commit to things. The Older sister got married and it was a fairy tale come true for her. She had a nice guy whom she loved and got along well with. He had a job and a car and of course, flaws. At first, the flaws were things she found adorable. She loved the way he would go out with the guys all night. She loved how rebellious he was. She loved the way he seemed to just not care about being responsible. Maybe it was because she wanted a challenge. Maybe it was because it gave her the opportunity to be the "adult half" in a relationship. Be responsible for things that she hadn't had the opportunity to be in charge of before. I don't know. When they had kids, the endearing ideals, the travelling from apartment to apartment, living from paycheck to paycheck life was not enough for her. She had babies to take care of. She had children that she needed to feed, bathe, shelter, and clothe. He had addictions that he needed to satisfy. What was once an endearing tendancy of his to quit an unfair or boring job to paint or "be an artist" while he finds another one, became a cause for concern. Surely, two adults could live like that, but not a family. A wife and child could not be supported by "fix-it" jobs. Oh the talent he had. If only he had been committed, the relationship and the family might've stood a chance. But he hadn't grown up yet. And taking care of a family while taking care of his addictions and whims proved too much for one weak-willed man to handle. Eventually, My sister got tired of his promises and his addictions, and his friends. She left him for the good of the family.

If only people would realize that things like that take committment and hard work.

My other sister. She had a boyfriend that loved her and cared for her. He had made mistakes in the past, they both had, and it had been a rocky relationship. They were on again, and off again for years. When he proposed, it was just after a rocky and complicated off again. It seemed that he would shape up. He was, after all, in the military now. He had gone through training and was turning out to be a responsible young man. Marriage seemed like the right thing at the time. He was growing up, and was looking to settle down for awhile. But again, lack of committment and foresight brought chaos. One day, Mr. Army boy comes home from work and tells my sister that he is too young to be married. None of his buddies are married. They all are free to do as they chose. None of them need to check in with the wife for permission to go out. It's as if he has another mother telling him what to do. She is surprised, and cannot grasp what he is saying. They talk about it. She thinks that it must be because he has cheated in some way. He denies any such act of dishonesty. She insists that it was okay, and that he could tell her. She wouldn't be mad if there was more reason behind this than just "I'm too young to be married". He denies it. He would never do anything like that. She finally sees the base chaplin. Just to see what he says about it. The chaplin gives her this analogy:

Your husband is on a bridge with a rope. He has one end in his hand. He throws you the other end. He jumps off of the bridge. How long are you going to hold on?

It made her realize that if she wanted to move forward in life, she needed to drop the things that are holding her back. She finally decides that the relationship she has with her husband is dragging her down and holding her back. As long as he refuses to grow up and be a responsible husband, she cannot be with him. They divorce, and she moves to Atlanta with our cousin.

It seems to me that many many people only want the good times. They want the frosting on the cupcake, and will not eat the cake part when they come to it. They want a relationship, but refuse to grow mentally or spiritually to maintain it. A relationship is a living thing. It changes and grows and can be wonderful if those involved change and grow with it. But when they don't, or can't or won't. That's when things like this happen.

That's my little bit of wisdom for today. Eat the pizza and the crust. If you try something new with a commitment to finish it all, don't smash it on the floor when your aunt isn't looking and then refuse to clean it up once she turns around and finds the mess. Geez, little kids, huh? Whattya do with em?

Poppins anyone?

I love the movie Mary Poppins. It's terrific fun! I watched my favorite song from that movie today. I know why it's my favorite one. Do you know why?





I like it because I love hearing people singing about me. That's why. My mom sings this sometimes and I love it! Also, Dick Van Dyke is awefully goofy in this movie. Always good for a laugh.

On a different note:

Yesterday after Math class, a friend invited me (more like told me I was going to go) to a "dance party" downtown. Apparently, there are parties on saturday nights. I had no idea. I don't know if I want to go. It's not really my scene. If you know what I mean. (rhyming mostly un-intentional).

I mean, a party? Downtown? Where there could be things that I don't want to see/hear/ingest? Where it goes from 7:00 to who knows when? I don't think so. I'll have to ask about it. It'd be nice to go out and do something for once, but not at the expense of my integrity and values. I might just invite him to the church dance that is the friday before and ask him to compare.

Also, someone made the comment that it sounded an aweful lot like it was a date. It's not. It doesn't matter if I go or not, it's not a date. He invited me and our other friend in math class to go. So I don't think it's like that. Although he did get my number. But only so he could call me and give me the details about the party.

But he is cute.

But I don't date non members.

But I don't date.

But I shouldn't care.

I guess I'm just going to have to talk it over with my mom. She always has good advice.

On yet another, more different note:

I was whistled at twice yesterday. Wolf whistle. Once it was a guy I had no idea who he was, and another time was a guy I did know who was just playing around (I hope). I ignored both of them. Hahaha.

I guess being attractive has it's disadvantages.

The findings of a curious (and happy!) mind.

So. . .



I found out that I don't like driving my sister's car.



I found out that I wasn't as prepared for today's test as I had thought.



I found out how to delete comments from others on my posts. (so, Jenna, if you still want me to delete that one comment, you are in luck!)



I found out that I can be awefully grumpy in the morning.



I also found out that my sudden snappy grumpiness could show itself to anyone.



Which is very dangerous if Dad finds this out at the same time.



I found out on Saturday night that I was horrible at bowling.



Which lead to me finding out that I don't mind losing as long as everyone has fun.



I found out that I don't like mushrooms as much as I had thought.



I found out that buying seasons of my favorite shows at Best Buy is possible, but improbable according to the latest update from my wallet.



I found out today that I lost my wallet.



I found out last night that I am like Bicycle Playing cards better than other brands.

I also found out that I can get on the internet in math class. Go figure.

Tagged- Now? Really?

Well, after stopping by My Friend's Blog, I decided that I'd finally give in. I'll finally do what it told me to do. I've been looking at it and putting it off for ages, but I can't put it off any longer. It's too tempting.

What Am I Doing Right Now?

Well, for starters, I am blogging. I'm blogging whilst listening to my new favorite song by Akcent called Spune Mi. I have no clue what the words mean. All I know is that there are cute guys singing it, and it's catchy. I'm supposed to be watching kids, but I've sent them to their room to clean it, so that I can have a minute alone. My shoulder is still killing me (I say shoulder instead of back because I don't want to sound like an old person, but it's up near my left shoulder on my back) from the accident, and more recently, my neck has started to hurt. It's only a sharp pain when I lift my head the wrong way. I am hoping to ask the opinion of my Med. Term. teacher, seeing as she's a chiropractor. I hated trying to spell that, and I don't care if I got it wrong. I am wearing my favorite hat. It's pretty awesome. I got it for around $4.00 at Target, but it's way cool. I'm waiting for Mom to get back from taking the Little Brothers to the Dentist, so that she can take me to school. I hate not having a car. I've recently been watching Dr. Who, and I'm addicted. Its a horrible sci-fi soap opera, but I'm addicted. How sad is that?? Anyway, I'm also taking Tylenol right now. Regular Strength Tylenol is my best friend now. I've found that Ibuprofen doesn't really help as much as it does during certain other times of pain. But with Tylenol, if I can just take some, and wait for it to kick in (it takes about ten minutes) then I'll be fine. In the mean time, I'm hurting really bad. Gol Dernit, my back hurts so bad!! Geez! I went to the doctor and she said it'd be gone in a couple of days. So either she went to Med School at Liarsville, or she doesn't know what she is talking about. Maybe she meant a couple of weeks, I don't know. But I do know that it's almost been a week since the crash and my back is still killing me. Which, with my tendancy to relate words to songs, leads me to this. Thanks, Roberta, thanks. Glad you went and popped into my head at exactly the right moment, I really appreciate it, really. Just for that, here's my favorite version of this song. Yeah, it's not yours, it's by the Fugees. So there. Have fun with that.

Anyway, now that you've had a little taste (and I do mean little, there's tons more where that came from) of what goes on in my head, you know a little more about the jungle that is my brain.

Also, Im a horrible red wings fan because the last 6 games I haven't seen and the last 6 games, they've lost. 6 in a row. I feel responsible for some reason.

My lucky day and My G.A.

Okay, so you all know how I really don't like to give actual names on this site. I really don't. I think people's privacy is important, and I respect the fact that some people don't want their names to be plastered all over the internet.

But. . . I think I can make an exception. Besides, it's not like anyone I don't know reads this blog right now, so I think It'll be safe. It'll be awhile before I actually get this blog into the medical blogosphere, so for now, I'm going to just go for it.

Denise Newhouse is heaven sent. She really is. I've suspected as much for some time now, and last night, it was confirmed. She is My Guardian Angel.

Last night, whilst driving home from my evening scripture study class, I ran head first into the most gigantic pothole in South Carolina. Not kidding. I really truely do beleive that it's the biggest. Now, usually, I avoid said pothole. I do. I know where it is. But last night, I forgot it was there, and to even further my plight, it was filled with water. I might as well have crashed into the kiddie pool at the neighborhood pool. That's how big it was. Big enough that it took out the whole bottom front of my car, and bumped my wheels pretty bad, too.

I stopped immediatly. Luckily, I wasn't too far away from class, and I had been the first to leave. So surely, somebody would see me and come to my aide. I saw Navy Nurse's car. He passed right by. I saw Best Buddy's car. She passed right by. In my distress, I grabbed my phone. After a quick prayer for help, I called mom. She quickly transferred the conversation over to dad.

The bad thing about being me, is that all of the emotions I hold in during the week, come out when I start to cry. I'm fine when no one's around. It's easy to bottle things in when you're alone. But when there's someone who's willing to listen. Someone who cares about you and wants to know what's wrong, the tears pour down like rain. And honestly, I am sorry about the country music-like phrase, but really, I swear, it's the only crying simile that came to my head.

Anyway, I was in the middle (actually, I was more like three or four words into it) of explaining my plight to Mom, when all of the sudden, that hot feeling came to my face, and my windpipe constricted, and I stopped breathing. I hate crying when I'm trying to explain what's happening. I sound something like this: "sob sob gasp I wahhhhhh breath I quivering lip sharp intake of breath I was gasp sob breath in I's going home waaaaaaaaahhhhhhh gasp gasp and like whimper boooohooohooooo"

So as you can see, it's more confusing to understand me when I'm crying. Way more confusing. So after sobbing to mom for a while and then sobbing to dad, there is a knock on my window. Denise Newhouse. She saw me on her way and decided to turn around. Now, as bad as I am over the phone when crying, it's about 5x worse when there's an actual person there with two whole shoulders, and always wiling to let me cry on either one. I picked the left one. I told my Dad to hang on, and explained - fighting the tears the whole time (they won) - what had happened. I let her and dad listen to the rattling sound the car made when I turned it on. Dad decided that it was okay for me to try to drive the car home, so I told Denise what he decided. She decided to follow me home the whole way.

Weird stuff was happening on the way home. The car was making weird noises. I had trouble with turning the wheels. Later than that, when I would put my foot on the gas, the rpm would go up, but not the mph. I had been going slow before, but by the time I got to my neighborhood, I stopped on an uphill. The car couldn't make it no matter how I revved the engines. The battery light was on the whole time. I'm glad Denise followed me into the neighborhood, because she was able to give me a ride the rest of the way home. I thanked her for her help, and hugged her. Mom thanked her for looking after me, and she was on her way.

Denise Newhouse is my hero. I don't think she beleives me when I tell her, but she is. She's been here for me since I moved here. No matter what. I'm thankful for her friendship, and her compassion, and the guidance she has given me throughout the years. It's almost like having another mom, but part-time, and without the "momming" that you get with your full-time mom.

Anyway, once I was home, I was trying to get Dad to go look at the car. Mom told us to take Big Brother with. Apparently, he didn't know that anything had happened. So when I asked him to come with to get the car, he asked what had happened. I tried to explaining, but apparently, that feat is undoable unless I bawl my eyes out. I don't want to cry in front of Big Brother! I covered my face with my elbows (it makes sense when you know that my hands had been behind my head.) and start yet another battle with my tears.

Then, the most amazing thing happened. One of the rarest things in the world showed itself. I had thought it was extinct, but apparently, it only comes out when it needs to. What is this wild and untamed specimen?? What is this thing that only shows itself once a year, maybe even only once in a few years. A hug from Big Brother. A genuine hug. An actual show of compassion and love that doesn't manifest itself in the form of quality time and video games.

I think that really did kind of make up for the fact that I had just ruined the car. Well, to me at least. I don't think a hug from Big Brother would take away Dad's feeling about the whole thing.

I digress.

We went and looked at it, and Dad saw that the car was leaking transmission fluid. And, apparently, the pothole scraped off some kind of electrical soemthing also, so I'm pretty glad right now that I didn't blow up. That would've stunk big time.

I don't think I went away completely unharmed, though. I must've done something to hurt my back, because my back is killing me. Around my left shoulder. It starts under my scapula and goes from about T-2 through T-8. It's killing me. I still have to go to school, unfortunately. But at least it's a holiday where cute boys give me things.

I will be soooo angry if I go to school and don't get anything good. That'll be a waste. I would've stayed home today except for that.

I should probably see a doctor about my back, but I never get to go to the doctor. Sam's been about twice so far this year. I haven't been since back around fall of 2006.

Oh well, I guess things will work out.