I.A.

You know what bugs me? Besides Tyra Banks and Nancy Gray? Inappropriate abbreviations. In the field of medicine I am faced with this a lot. Let me try to remember some of my unfavorites.

RTC ("round the clock" meant to imply that something should be done all day long. Shouldn't it be A-round the clock? "Round" should only be used as a preposition in christmas songs.)

Tx, Dx, Sx, Fx, etc (basically, take any word and use only the first letter plus x. Everybody else is left to telepathically infer your meaning. All of them are variable. It's not like Dx always means diagnosis. It also means disease. Sx can be for symptoms or surgeries. You catch my drift. Fx Ax!!!)

Now I'm really bugged because I started this post with one particular abbrev. in mind that was particularly annoying because the abbreviation takes longer to say than the word it's replacing, but of course now I can't remember what it was. 5 free iTunes songs to whoever lists one first.


Now, in response to the commentary of the last post, re: names. Tarsky, you got me all a-laughin' with the 6 degrees of kevin bacon. But the strange thing was I had already dreamed up an awesome cd mix-tape challenge earlier that day. Here's what's what: I give you two artists, say...Guns N Roses (that's just one artist so far, for all of you non gnr fans) and the Samples. And your job is to connect the two in a mix tape with the following rules. Each consecutive song must be related to the last in an alternating fashion as follows: Song by the artist, song by another artist with at least one word in the title (besides a, the, an, etc) in common with the last song, another song by the same artist, then another song by another artist again with a title word in common with the last and so on, and so forth. That's confusing I realize, so let me demonstrate.

Guns N Roses, sweet child of mine, Neil Young - I am a child, Neil Young - harvest moon, The Police - Walking on the moon, The Police - Every Breath You Take, Dixie Chicks - Cowboy Take me Away, Dixie Chicks - Not Ready to Make Nice, The Samples - Did you ever look so Nice.

Now, no credit is given if iTunes is used in assembling the list (like I just did), however extra credit is given for making the connection in fewer steps. I realize that I could have just let you go song to song without making you use two from each artist, but this makes it more complex and interesting, no?

Alright, here is the challenge: M.C. Hammer to Sarah McLachlin.

He (or she) who get's it in the fewest steps will win another 5 iTunes songs. (who am i kidding, pete is the only one who may POSSIBLY even respond to this...[secret psychological tactics at play here]).

p.s. I just ate an orange swedish fish candy that tasted like Comet Cleanser (this smell is a registered trademark of Josh's Entire Childhood), so if I start to slduflurrrr my spehsdlhc;haeeecdh, you'rlllll undrerjstsandnd hnwyyywhyyyydlsh.

Post P.S. Addendum:
Picture pages picture pages...(random bill cosby images should flash across your brain. And possibly a strangely large marker)

On the back of a package of gummy bears I recently injested. Should I be worried?


As depressing as it is for me to add pictures of work (or to even THINK about work whilst enjoying an evening at home) I've been catching some sweet sunrises lately.


Lucie loves straws. She's mutilating one in this pic.


This is still funny to me.


Just cause she's cute and far away. (mel and luce are in DC for the week)


I know I shouldn't mock this, but come on...This is a poster to help people identify what sexual HARRIS-ment is. (NOT her-ass-ment)


Can't tell, but this is a pic of a whole strip of shops called "Fred's Meats", "Pete's Pizza", and "Pete's [something else]." I'll have to get a better pic.

Excuse me, Mr. Adam Duritz: It is not necessary to obscure every living semblance of the original melody and/or cadence when singing your songs live.

Englebert Humperdink

So my name is Josh. Hopefully you knew that. Strangely enough, however, if one were to look at my birth certificate one would see that my name is actually two letters longer. Joshua is my real name. But, as a testament to how little I associate myself with that name, behold the following story.
The username that was assigned to me for the 'puters at work is Joshua1. Everytime I type that in, instead of thinking, "oh look, self, there's your name again," it is so foreign that I think rather of the 80's movie Wargames. If this reference is lost on you, please immediately tab over to netflix, sign-up if necessary, and rent that awesome film. Be prepared for some annoying Ally Sheady-ness, but some totally sweet flying pterydactyls.

Sticking with this innominate theme, check this action out. So I am frequently, nay...always spelling my name for people who, at the sound of it completely lose their ability for rational thought and often respond, "whoa...what the heck kind of name is that?" To which I'm apt to reply, "hey dumbass, it's two english words. Open your eye-holes." So anyways...the real story is a funny little quirk about it's spelling. I'll be spelling it out for them...real slow-like...and I finish "o-a-k." And they inevitably respond. "o-k." This leaves me horrifically perplexed. Are they indicating their comprehension of it's spelling? Or did they, in a feat of increasingly astounding lameheadedness, mispelling my name "holyok."

Ok. I'm off to read about the bladder. I know, I know...you're all jealous. Just wait till you need a TURBT! You'll wish you'd sat alone in a stuffy room at an eery hospital reading urology textbooks instead of relaxing at home with the family sipping cranberry juice and eating mike & ike's. You'll be sorry!!!!!!!!!!!!

You should probably grab a hold of something...

as sands in the hourglass...

I had the theme to the Days of Our Lives in my head as I started this post. Who on earth knows why.

Yesterday we took Luce [sic] to Toys Backwards-R Us. I ended up spending a substantial amount of time playing Playstation 3 there. There was this game where you drive an off-road truck in Monument valley along a course that is at the edge of a huge canyon. The graphics were abso-freaking-lutely incredible. I was amazed. I kept driving off the side on purpose because it looked so nuts, even though it would always cut off and put you back on the road before you fell very far. Mel was watching and she's all "you're totally going to dream this tonight." So what did I dream? I was in a minivan (white and lame, not like my awesome silver dream-machine.) and driving up a canyon sort of like Milcreek canyon and I careened (hmm...gonna have to look that one up...wow, actually spelled it right) off the side and the minivan rolled over and over again. She was right!

Then last night I dreamt that Malcolm was driving this big cabin-cruiser boat and went really fast out of the dock and then there were islands everywhere with Mammoth sized crabs on them and they would try to snap at us as we went by.

My coworker said she dreamt the following last night "I dreamt there were all these hooligans, and they were such bad hooligans that Oprah started sending them all of her underwear everyday." I am still dying/laughing.

In 1984 my family lived in Denver, CO just for the summer. It just so happens that there was some awesome music that was really big that summer and ever since then whenever I have heard those songs they would make me think of that one summer in Denver. I think I even made a mix of denver songs for my sis. So today as I walked past the OR I heard one of them: Bruce Springsteen: Dancin' in the Dark and I felt so weird because I am here in Denver again! It's so strange trying to reconcile all of those random memories with the place I live in now. They seem like they are from alternate universes.

Speaking of music in the OR (which is operating room, but everyone knows that, don't they?) today whilst taking out a bladder tumor the song "take me out" by FF came on. I thought, "how appropriate." And I imagined the patient dreaming "I know I won't be leaving here with you," in reference to his multiple papillary WHO grade I/III TCC masses . It was a touching moment.

Note to self: When you finally get up the funds, the wherewithall, and the guts/glory to make your biopic a la Zach Braff, but with fewer awkward palm-to-father's-chest moments (see Garden State (2004)), make sure to include the scene where your daughter is rent from her mother's wound cesarean-style with a sweet series of on-the-beat still frames of her first breath and crying set to the music (which actually was playing) of the Who's Won't Get Fooled Again [specifically the part following the extended keyboard solo where mr. Roger Daltrey lets out a scream...Now all of you take a moment to imagine that exact part juxtaposed with all of the stress of watching your child being born and she's letting out her very first scream...I mean come on! This is the stuff of High School Film teachers' most joyous moments! Carter (last name?) from East High: wherever you are, you were a totally sweet film teacher.) Geez, I've used so many of these () and these [] that I don't know what I still need to close. Forget it.

Ok. Probably enough for today. I'm off to cart around my daughter and relish all of the attention that she gets. PEACE.

Zooropa

We took Lucie to the zoo yesterday. It was a lot of fun because she's old enough to see that there is some crazy stuff going down at such a place. The lion was her favorite, but the little monkeys were mine. Also cool: a hippo that was ridiculously large and in charge. Pictures to come up soon!

I asked a dude where the abdominal CT Scans (formerly known as Cat scans; why aren't they any more? Not sure) were read. He said "in the basement" and I said "where exactly" and he said, "just exactly right beneath us." I then went on a wild goose chase only to find that it was not anywhere near "right beneath us" and was in fact on the other side of the hospital. I have since been left to wonder: Did he think I was asking him just, in general, where the effing basement was? Argh!!!

Lucie walks and claps now. She continues to be the smiliest person on the planet. I can't stand knowing that I don't get to go home to see her tonight!

There is an epi...no...PANdemic in Denver of Left-turn-on-green illiteracy. Not once or twice, but multiple times now have I been behind someone in the left lane when the light turns green and they look up, notice it's greenness, and then do absolutely nothing. At first, I think that possibly they are just waiting for a yellow to make their move. But NAY! They just sit there and let it turn yellow and then Red! What the crapstain!?!? At first I just let it slide, but yesterday when it happened for the umpteenth time I did indeed let forth a slight honk of the horn. In reply I received much flapping of the arms and dirty looks in both rear views. I responded in kind (minus the rearviews, unless you count hers). But the situation was not remedied. What could POSSIBLY be going through these peoples heads? "Ah yes, I remember this from Driver's Ed. 'Always wait for every other light to turn.'"

The other day I walked past a lady as she was saying to the lady from whom she was purchasing an over-priced caffeinated beverage, "Can you believe the nerve of that woman? Brushing her hair right here? Disgusting!" I thought to myself how silly that lady seemed for making such a big deal of such a benign act. Am I as bad as that lady for my green light story!?!??!?!?!?!??! Is there a standard pattern of ?'s and !'s that is grammatically acceptable?!??!?!?????!?!!! I don't think so !!!?!??!!????!!!!!

the shblimpsons

i picked the same shirt as pete...weird............

Blog neglect

I certainly have been a bad blogger lately. I do apologize.

I have currently lost my voice. Yesterday I sounded like Barry White, then last night I sounded like Dizzie Gallespie. Now I sound like Charlie Brown. The Peanuts character, not the jazz pianist, which is confusing given the penultimate comparison to a jazz great.

I am working a lot, but I don't feel overworked right now. I had a nice free weekend full of sleep and house organizing. Melissa got it all finished up and it feels like home again.

I bought a little flat screen tv for the crap of it. It's pretty neato except for some random technical issues that I won't bore you with. I look forward to owning a big old fat LCD some day. Although before that I will need to either a) buy a new stud-finder (start the joke-off) or b) become more proficient at using the stud finder, because I put a WHOLE lot of HOLES in the wall before I found anything that seemed remotely like a stud.

Lucie walks now. It is so great. I need to upload some video. Remind me to do that.

I am also hopped up on Dayquil caps (not the syrup: yuck!)right now, so I can't be held responsible for any strangeness.

I wonder how my med school friends who are now all interns are doing spread all over the place.

I wonder how my 10-year reunion was.

The iPhone sure is neato but I have been advised by my psychic guru to await version 2.0 before purchasing. We shall see if my discover card can remain sheathed that long.

It sure does rain a lot here. People keep telling me that it's unusual.

There is, supposedly, a Holyoak in Colorado. Well, there are definitely Holyoak's in Colorado, but there is supposedly a Holyoak, Colorado. Actually, I think it's a Holyoke, Colorado. So far I have heard that Holyoke is where the good bar was back in the 60's. I have also heard that Holyoke has a good football team. I will have to visit this mythic place.

Did you know that Colorado means "red" in spanish? Denver, Red. That's where I live. And Denver looks like a French verb. If I had to guess, I would think that it meant "to stutter." As in, "Je denve de temps en temps." Stuttering Red. Now that is a good band name. But is it spelled like that? Studdering. Stuttering. Stuttering is an onomatopea (now I know for sure that is spelled wrong). Otomotopotopeeya. I'll have to look that up. But seriously, how rude to make the word for stuttering a word that would be easy to stutter on. We should have called it "Jonesing." Like, "oh, my friend Steve...he joneses sometimes." Or, "Jake doesn't jones as much as he used to."

Ok, now that's the dayquil talking. No wonder meth addicts talk so much. But why do they have such bad teeth?

wait, what?

I'm already tired.

I had this incredibly transcendant moment during the John Mayer concert last weekend. It was at red rocks so the scenery was incredible, the weather was set to absolutely perfect, the music was just amazing, and the songs had pre-assigned meaning for me, and then on top of all that at one point I wandered down and listened to most of a song from like the 3rd row. Also, I knew that having nice relaxing moments like this will be a less frequent occurence now that the whole Gray's Anatomy has begun, so it all totalled to a life-stopping moment. Haven't had one in a while.

Other than that, I miss my wife and child. I had a horrible and drawn-out nightmare regarding my wife last night. I'm incredibly nervous about starting my job this weekend, yet at the same time I think the actual job portion won't be that bad. Taking call and cross-covering for every known surgical service in the universe will be absolutely horrifying. My first call is Monday night. Be ye forewarned.

On the plus side, the people who are interns with me seem to be real good folks. Especially 3 or 4 of them. Kind of reminds me of the mission in that you know that they are experiencing the same bull crap as you and they have a similar view of the situation, so it just makes you feel that much better.

Pete has a nice Tom Brokaw style (maybe more like Neil Armstrong style) sign off for his blog. I need one too I think. How about:

And that's the truth...PBBBSSSSSTTTTTTT.

Reader's Digest version

Lemme esplain. No, is too much. Lemme sum up.

Thought the house was sold. Moving company waits till worst time ever to announce that they weren't coming. Got a new moving company in a rush. Moved across the country. House was not, in fact sold. New moving company was worse than the first and as of 20 days after picking it up they have still not delivered our stuff. I have grown quite accustomed to sleeping on the floor, so it's nice to know that I have that skill leveled up to 375*. Melissa left for Spain. Lucie is in SLC. I am lonely. My cats are not adequate company. I'm sick of food that can be cooked in our one cooking implement: the oven. Started orientation today. Sewed a pig stomach together.

Please check out this page on my website for all of the billions of cell phone pics I recently uploaded.

Here are some high quality pics for your viewing enjoyment:


I miss lucie as much as my cats like to chew through speaker cable. And that is a LOT.


Here she is: the SS SoccerMom. Her maiden voyage across the US was fairly uneventful. Thankfully.


The king has returned home!


Ok, here's his real home.


I would've taken a picture of the mayor if we could've found him.


She seems like a big scary cartoon character in this one.


Not so scary anymore.


These are mostly just so I can look at them and miss her.


She looks so crazy in this one. I love it.


McCall Koelpin has arrived! So cute. I can't wait until she goes to McCall. Let the confusion abound!


Now righted. Still cute!


Will definitely does not suffer from a lack of the cuteness either.


Oh My Gosh, a high chair? How great!


Doesn't she look like a mischievous christmas elf? Or a Naga Siren*?


Holy crap, come home already!!!





*These jokes intended for Ryan only.

Man, I suck at blogging

But I have been to some sweet concerts lately.

I've got me some ideas

There are lots of things I need to blog including but not limited to: The x-country trip with pics, the Police concert, etc. But until I can find the motivation, please check out this awesome thing that happened to me. This may confirm some of Eddie Vedder's long-held suspicions:

Gosh, I'm feeling prolific

The other day a lady in our parking lot asked if I had any jumper cables. Sadly I did not. Later, her mother arrived and I thought, "I should offer to help." Thinking that I was a sexist pig for assuming that they would need my help, I did not offer any. Then, they got the car all fired up and immediately the horn started honking. It was a sad honk, but still a constant honk. Even still I did not offer to help for a couple of trips between my car and the apartment (I was unloading all the crap we brought from MD). Finally, I decided to not be a schmuck. I sauntered over and said "can I help?" The daughter frantically asked "Do you know how to disconnect the horn?!??!?!??" I had an apostrophe. ["I think you mean an epiphany." "Lightning...has just struck my brain." "Ah, well that must hurt."] "Have you tried removing the fuse?" "The fuse!" she replied. Within seconds I discovered the strange under-the-hood placement of the fuse box, and after having demanded the owner's manual, I found the proper fuse, yanked it out, and immediately the horn stopped. (please sing along)

I need a hero!
I'm holding out for a hero till the end of the night!
Cause he's got to be fast and he's got to be strong, and he's got to be larger than life!"

Fact: We need a nanny.
Fact: The neighbors directly across the hall from us seem like a trustworthy couple and have one daughter almost exactly a year older than ours.
Fact: The mother used to be a Pre-school teacher, also used to nanny other children, but is currently not employed.


So, Peter. I heard that your brother AND best friend live in Colorado now. Hmm...sure would be easy to find an excuse to visit the mile high city, now wouldn't it?


I was hauling crap from my car (same timestamp of first story) up to our 3rd floor apartment and multiple times felt faint and had to sit down. I was also really winded and thought, "gosh, I"m sure out of shape." A few hours later I remembered that I am now about 5000 feet higher up than Baltimore. Isn't science fun!?!? I'm going to start smoking and taking iron pills to see just how high my hematocrit can climb.

Salt Lake 2.0

Did you know that Denver is just like Salt Lake City? Enough so that my brain actually thinks that it is in SLC and that if I wanted I could drive over to a friend and/or family relation's house?

Point #2. Living without furniture sure sucks. I cannot sleep on a mattress that gradually loses air during the night until you wake up on the ground.

Point #3. Please stay tuned for photos of the worlds coolest washer and dryer that we recently bought. Thank you to the rich person who thought a small dent in the corner of said washer rendered it useless and also to Lowe's for marking down this same machine 50% for said aforementioned dent. Just to whet your appetite: it has the ability to clean your clothes with nothing other than cold water and silver ions. That's right, I said SILVER IONS!!!

[slobber]

The new iphone ads have me drooling again.

2 awesome 4 words

Coming soon to a theater near you

Just wanted to let everyone know that my biopic is about to be released. Check it out: here.

the BuShblog

We went to see the "man" land. It was awesome.


Dad at la Casa Blanca, awaiting arrival of senior arbusto.


First two choppers came in and did a totally sweet flyby a la maverick.


See: I told you.


Then the real deal came in.


The bossman came out after some pomp and circumstance with a soldier.


The Mrs. too!


This one is my favorite because...


It looks like he's doing a Hungarian folk dance.


Technically, this is Lucie getting her picture taken with the president.


Some cheff in front of me was ranting and jeering. It was awkward.


The President appeared to be lost and wandered off into the trees.


The heli wasted no time and took off for the wild blue yonder.


The whole crew. Some showed their respect for the president by dressing in their finest shorts and tees.


Kicking it cold old school on the White House lawn.


Ain't it perty?

It was an incredible event. But apparently not enough for dad who, it seems, attempted to break into the NSA the following day. Silly dad.

Well, eff.

Colorado it is. Who says you shouldn't get your hopes up? If you never did you could never be horribly dissappointed!

On a happier note, my daughter just ate a fly.

Actual conversation from 4 am

"Where's the humidifier?"

"You made a fire?"

"Yes, dear. I made a fire and wanted to tell you that at 4 a.m."

losing my mind

I recently saw a very funny spoof of a pharmaceutical ad for a drug like ambien or lunesta. I thought for sure it was on Saturday Night Live. This was very recently! But I can find no record of this commercial. WTF!?! I'm going cuckoo trying to find it.

p.s. it is not the stupid stupid stupid spoof on google video of some guy swatting at the Lunesta butterfly.

my child is wild

Lucie was born with a special sensor chip implanted in her brain that allows her to detect which object in her vicinity may be the MOST dangerous, breakable, and/or expensive. She also has a homing program that causes her to immediately grab and destroy said object.

So, in my measurable mercy I have decided to grant Petarsky a prize for the mystery mix even though he didn't get the answer I was looking for. This is mostly because his sister sent me on a whirlwind guilt trip, but also because pete was partially correct when he said that "maybe the connection between the songs is simply that Josh thinks they rock," (something like that), because that is true.

I am not going to just give him a blank check to spend at Steve Jobs' toy store. I get to pick what he wins. And I am going to do that right now.

[some time later]


I sent petros-petros gali the film "Gross Pointe Blank" with the following inscription.
"In honor of our upcoming 10-year reunion, which I will probably miss, and in dishonor of you not guessing the mix theme."

I am so mean/awesome.

Unlimited Power!

So I made this mystery mix for my best buddy Pete. And he had to figure out the theme of the mix in order to win a prize. You can see him flailing here. Granted, it is graceful flailing.

Here is the mix:

Paranoid Android (remix) - Radiohead
Eleanor Rigby - Aretha Franklin
Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand
Electrical Storm - U2
Recovering The Satellites - Counting Crows
Mad World - Michael Andrews
I Bombed Korea - Cake
L'absente - Yann Tiersen
Elephant Woman - Blonde Redhead
Sad Sad World - Sheryl Crow
Red Rabbits - The Shins
Only In Dreams - Weezer
My Love - Justin Timberlake
Neil Young Song - Hayden
Emaline - Ben Folds
You Can't Always Get What You Want - The Rolling Stones

Can anybody see the link? I do mean SEE the link.

Pete is actually PETER. Peter Romney in fact. Peter MILES romney.


[evil laugh/cackle] I'm so awesome.

The future is uncertain...

???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Happy Birthday Dad

Love,
The Jazz

Hey Brohawk!

Your wish is granted.
Everybody click here and prove how smart you are. Or not. Because I will warn you of what I did not know. After I feverishly plowed through the test, you are given the chance to see your score...for 9.95 payable by credit card. [cue the fog horn sound effect and green goop poored from the ceiling onto my head] Of course, I was not about to let that effort go to waste so I risked identity theft and personal humiliation and forked out the cash. You get a little profile telling you what percentage of the population scored lower than you as well as a certificate to print out and inspire disgust and nausea in all who see it. So, if you've got 10 bucks burning a hole in your pocket, and a desire to relive the SAT, do it! Please forward your certificates to me so that I may proudly display them.

FYI:

How well did I do? What does my score mean?
Intelligence Interval Cognitive Designation
40 - 54 Severely challenged (Less than 1% of test takers)
55 - 69 Challenged (2.3% of test takers)
70 - 84 Below average
85 - 114 Average (68% of test takers)
115 - 129 Above average
130 - 144 Gifted (2.3% of test takers)
145 - 159 Genius (Less than 1% of test takers)
160 - 175 Extraordinary genius

Of note: Less than 70 is the medical definition of mental retardation. <50 is severe mental retardation, and < 30 is classified as ZOMGWTF.

They claim that 5.42 million people have taken this test and that the average score is 108.447 with a standard deviation of 14.889. Remember that the average IQ should be 100, but they state that a possible confounding variable causing their average to be too high is that "The lowest IQ holders will not be capable of using the internet to measure their own intelligence." Awesome.


***UPDATE***
Apparently one does not have to pay to get their IQ score from the aforementioned test. They will email you just your general IQ score. But they won't make this obvious to you and you will feel like you need to pay the 10 dollars to get any info and thus feel somewhat cheated when you discover your "free" IQ score in your email inbox a few hours after paying for the "complete IQ profile." Wow, I'm a sap.

Finally an explanation for my Hydro!

Did you know that the average IQ has risen on average 3 points per decade over the last 100 years? They are continuously updating the scoring of IQ tests so that the average IQ is 100. This means that if children in 1937 had access to a Delorian with a flux capacitor and took an IQ test today, about 1/2 of them would be borderline mentally retarded.

This trend, called the Flynn Effect, not to be confused with the Errol Flynn effect which is the gradual thinning of mustache hair, has several proposed explanations including more education, better nutrition, greater environmental complexity, and Heterosis which is a fascinating topic deserving of it's own post.

Anyways, other exciting things that have happened to the general population include an increase in height of about 1 cm per decade, and [drum roll] an increase in head circumference!!! One could, and should, infer a relative increase in brain size. Therefore, I pay the price for my superior intellect by having to cart this enormous noggin around.


p.s. how was this for a post? So intellectual! Woot me.

"Just when I think you couldn't get any dumber...

You go and do something like this. And TOTALLY redeem yourself!"
Speaking of redemption: peter, you are forgiven.

I was reminded today what an incredible and important film Dumb & Dumber was/is.

I met a lady today who sounded just like that droid on Return of the Jedi who is deciding what to do with C-3PO and R2D2 in Jabba's hut. It was pretty sweet.


I also heard the following phrase: "One of the social workers may be by." And I imagined responding, "May be bi?" It was really funny at the time. In my head.

Graduation is imminent. Can't wait.

My poor baby was sick as [expletive deleted] last night and did not sleep. It sucked. And I was alone. Did I mention that she didn't sleep? I got [a lot] more sleep when I was on call!

Pitching a no-hitter

Wow! So I actually did get a full night's rest, and didn't have any admissions! Too bad I don't believe in reverse jynxing either. Still, what a magical evening. I watched 3 consecutive NBA playoff games (Go Jazz!), slept fairly well (except for one 2 a.m. page from the ER which usually means your sleep is over, but this time was just some dumb person asking for something that could have waited till the morning), and woke up to a beautiful sunrise over the Baltimore skyline (pic to be uploaded soon). Glorious.

bore-duh

Just rediscovered this photo. Dang we're good looking. I am gettin my haircut at the next available moment.

Do you believe in getting jinxed (sp?)? I think about it a lot. Like when somebody says, "gosh, it sure has been a quiet night." I don't believe that such a thing has any bearing on the remainder of the night, but I can't help thinking about it everytime. And I knock on wood, as already mentioned on this blog. What a bunch of crap.

I am planning on getting a full night's rest and don't think I will get any pages or any calls for admissions!!! Now that's what I call tempting fate!!! (even now it's hard for me to say all that. So weird.)


P.S. If someone were to play a game, and in this game that same someone was allowed to name their characters...what could they name a character that looked like a big cow that walked on it's hind legs and it's only role in the game was to stand by the mailbox and sell crap that is sent to him at a local auction house? Please submit witty ideas quickly.

Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my bored, yet comfortably bored self. I mean, heart. Whatever.

Family album

Apparently one of my ancestors was put on trial for murder (search "holyoak"). Ok, so I don't actually know if we're related, but just pretend we are. Reading the account is...dare I say, quite humorous to the mind. For, with it's olde working of this our native english tongue, in deft combination with the mentioning of one with whom I share my very surname, it doth oft-times bring me to shed forth bursts of heaping laughter.

Check it. And don't forget to search "holyoak." Otherwise you'll be reading 300 pages of random lameness.

P.S. Extra points are given for a non-WoW use of "blunderbuss."

***UPDATE***
Holy crap, Holyoak! Having read the entire account, I now know that the poor sunovabitch was convicted and executed! Wow. Now I really hope we are related.

Indignant and Diggin' it

[haughty]SO!!!!!! Mr. Big Shot Linguist! Think you can not link to my blog anymore, eh? Sure, you've linked to all of our friends' blogs, all of your relatives', and even MY little brother's. But mine? No longer! In protest I shall link to my own blog 10 times.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
My ego has now been reinflated.

I'm on call again. It is going [knocking on drywall in the direction of the nearest wood] very well so far. And in response to my FORMER BEST FRIEND's comment, being on call is still crappy for the first couple of years as a urologist. It will then SUPPOSEDLY get relatively better. So, you are right, Oh Judas, that I shouldn't complain as much.

p.s. I'm just kidding, man. Don't get worried.
p.p.s. No I'm not. You should be worried.
p.p.p.s. yes i am.
p.p.p.p.s. etc.

Mix-off 2007

In light of the recent onslaught of mixes that I have received from both my dad and my BFF, I am announcing the first annual Mix-off. Any and all mixes sent to me will cause a mix of equal or greater value to be sent back from me. But first, let me just say a few words about the not one, not two, but three mixes recently sent to me by one Petarsky. First of all, there were no labels and no accompanying documentation from which I could glean any sort of rhyme or reason to their make-up. I became obsessed with discovering the theme of each, even though I was forced to import them into iTunes under the sadly anonymous monickers "Pete's Mystery Mix #1, 2, and 3." I believe one of them was meant to be "the worst covers ever to have been recorded" mix. I laughed until my ears bled at the sound of some asian man groveling through Led Zeppelin's When the Levee Breaks, and I continue to laugh when I think of it. However, I am completely at a loss as to the theme of the other two mixes, and my poor neurotic brain cells cannot wrap their collective selves around the idea that possibly the mixes were just a group of songs that were liked by old Tromiles. Therefore, i have concocted, during my most recent road trip to Philly, in the state of PA (imagine Josh cruising up I-95 at 80 mph with a grilled stuffed burrito in one hand and the thumb of his other hand furiously thumbing-up an on-the-go playlist on his newly acquired Mega-iPod), a mix that I will soon send to the far reaches of California. Mr. Romney, your mission, whether or not you choose to accept it, is to decipher the theme of this mix. It is so cryptic...so subtle...that I will offer a reward to you for your successful decipherage of it's theme within the allotted time. If you post a comment to this blog with the correct theme by May 6, 2007 (5/6/7!!!) I will send you your choice of the following: 1) an iTunes gift certificate in an amount of my choosing, 2) a subscription to various and sundry pottery barn catologues, or 3) an invitation to my upcoming graduation.

Let the games begin!!!



p.s. wow, being back on a rigorous work schedule sure has done marvels for the old shblog, eh?

Zomcrapstain

I am appalled. I cannot believe that there are people like this still in the world. My favorite line:

"There was not anybody that I can remember that was black," she said. "The white people have theirs, and the black people have theirs. It's nothing racial at all."

Wait, what?!?!?

p.s. the hospital computers are rigged so as not to allow me to view websites relevant to any video games, more specifically my recently acquired addiction. Thus, during my "significant" downtime whilst on call, not only can I not play said game, I can't even dork-out and read about people playing the game. How am I supposed to maintain my loserdom?!?!?

On call

Wow, I did not miss being on call.

You know how sometimes people can be heard yelling into their cell phones? And occasionally they say things that make you wonder if they realize that they are letting the whole world know those things? Well, today on the way into the hospital, a man was screaming into his cell phone: "Well, they gave me a new anti-biotic, And an Anti-Fungal Cream." I capitalize to emphasize how awesome it was. It sure made me laugh.

What a weird profession I have chosen for myself. One that will regularly require me to stay up all night long answering mundane and/or gut-wrenching questions. Good thing I'm not an anxious person. And good thing I don't like sleeping very much.

[trombone] Wah wah wah wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

It's pucker time

40 minutes and counting until step II CS. I am nervous. That is all. I had horrible nightmares last night and woke up every couple of hours. I sure am glad that I get to take big scary exams like this every few years for the rest of my life. Ok, apparently that was not all.

Mel and Lucie: Come home! I miss you.

Good-bye-a Sanjaya.

P.S. I'll have you know it is NOT always sunny in philadelphia.

P.P.S. Orange County is the movie I would have liked to make about my life. If I was a surfer who wanted to become a writer. And if I was Tom Hanks' son.

P.P.P.S. I ordered a big-ole breakfast last night and when it arrived this a.m. it looked really awful and I only ate the toast.

P.P.P.P.S. I don't really have anything to say, but if I stop this post I am affirming that I have to go take a huge high-stakes exam.

Where's the orange juice?

So I'm in West Palm Beach at the moment. I have nothing more to say about that.

The other day I actually heard the following phrase used in conversation: "I'm sorry Ms. Jackson." I was really hoping someone to follow up with "I am for reeeeeeeeeeeal," but that didn't happen.

I recently had a nightmare that lasted all night long involving the end of the world. The entire planet was being covered and consumed by dark black lava. I was trying to get my family to safety by using my new found powers of flight that only worked if I concentrated really hard and used a weird kite/hang-glider thing. The last part of the dream was me telling my dad and brother about the dream with the lava that I was actually still in the middle of.

Side note: babies sometimes need to cry for the sake of crying and it is pointless to try and figure out why they are crying and/or remedy the situation. Babies also sometimes will suddenly learn abilities, like speech, for example, that seem well-beyond what they're supposed to know at their age.

Lucie is now sprouting at least 2 more teeth. They are her top teeth, but instead of being the front teeth to match her bottoms, they are her canines, or fangs. So she looks like Johnny Depp as Ed Wood.

I sure can't seem to study for the last step of the boards. Good thing it's not for another few days. I've got plenty of time.

This post needs a pic.
Here we go:

God Bless You, Mr. Vonnegut

story

Two points to Gar...

...for pointing out that the bunny costume in Donnie Darko is much scarier than the other one.

Merry Easter

I love this picture for 2 reasons.

#1) Is this not the scariest easter bunny costume ever? It looks like he's got conjunctivitis and rabies.

#2) It looks like Lucie is introducing him to a tv audience: "Ladies and Gentlemen, how about a big round of applause. He only comes around once a year! He's...the Easter Bunny!" [canned cheering]

Again, for the first time

So we really are moving to Denver. This time I mean it.
Seriously.

No jokes.

You should all come and visit.

Of note it is 6:42 a.m. and Lucie has kept us up most of the night. I'm using the royal "us."

peace.