Stayin' Alive

I spent Thursday and Friday updating my ACLS certification. Thursday morning was spent reviewing basic life support, basically CPR. The rest of the time was spent reviewing ACLS material, including EKG rhythm interpretation and how to correct the various arrhythmias. Some time was also spent on how to handle stroke and heart attack patients, including the appropriate use of clot-busting drugs. Friday concluded with a written test that required an 84% or higher grade to pass, and the Megacode. The Megacode is when you walk into a room with 3 helpers and are given a medical situation. It is then your job to be the team leader and instruct people to do various stuff, like give medications, secure an airway, begin CPR, etc. The whole experience is a little nerve wracking. Its tough to get up there in front of a room of other healthcare professionals and be the leader. Luckily the hospital where I work is pretty laid back and I think everyone had a decent time with the class given the circumstance. There was a lot of joking around and laughing. With that being said, I take ACLS pretty seriously. Working in a hospital full of sick people, I am sure it is only a matter of time before I have to use the skills I learned in this class in a real life situation.

On a lighter note, the entire time we were relearning CPR I couldn't help but to think of the scene from the Office where Dunder Mifflin learns CPR after Stanley's heart attack. It's one of my all time favorite moments from the Office. It's really quite funny and quite applicable to the situation.

Restaurant Buffet

Its been a while since I've discussed any food on the site so I thought now would be a good time to discuss a few restaurants I've been to recently. Both of these places are some of my favorite restaurants in the area.

Bub's Burgers
Location: Downtown Carmel
Price: $-$$
Rating: 5 Cheeseburgers

Bub's is probably one of the more famous restaurants in the area. It is located downtown Carmel, right along the Monon trail. It is a popular stop along the trail in the summertime and always has a good crowd. The restaurant is sit down style with waiter/waitress. There is also the option to sit outside on the patio when the weather is nice. As you can probably tell based on their name, this restaurant specializes in burgers. Their biggest burger, titled the "Big Ugly" is quite a challenge to get down and the inside of the restaurant is covered with pictures of people who have conquered the massive burger. If you look close enough, you might find some people up there that you know.

An important thing to remember when eating at Bub's is don't forget the ice cream! They have an attached ice cream parlor and the milkshakes are excellent - much better than Steak and Shake or any other fast food milkshake.

Overall Bub's is a unique, local place to take visiting friends and family. The food is good and priced well. It's one of my favorite local restaurants and I always enjoy going there.

Me attempting to put down the "Big Ugly:"





Arni's Restaurant
Location: 96th Street, Indianapolis/Multiple Locations
Price: $$
Rating: 4 Cheeseburgers

I don't have as much to say about Arni's. Just know that it is a local Italian restaurant located just north of the Keystone Fashion Mall. I like to go there if I am in the Keystone area and am looking for a good meal that isn't too expensive. Most of the restaurants around Keystone are pretty pricey. Arni's is a sit down style restaurant with a waiter/waitress. The inside is quite modern and up-to-date, yet it is very laid back and really you would feel comfortable wearing just about anything inside. You don't have to be dressed up. The food is reasonably priced and the portions are huge. Most importantly, it is quite good. I have been here twice now, both times getting the chicken parmesan for $11.49. If you are in the Keystone area or around any of Arni's multiple locations, I'd suggest giving them a try. I think you will leave full and quite satisfied.

The Times They Are a-Changin'

My vacation between finishing school and starting residency basically ends tomorrow as we start residency orientation at the hospital. We spend all day Thursday and Friday going through ACLS re-certification. We get the weekend off, then resume with orientation on Monday. The remaining part of orientation lasts until noon on Wednesday. We then officially begin residency the next day on Thursday. I have been at this hospital enough times that I already know most of the people here and I know my way around and stuff like that, so most of this orientation I think is going to be telling me stuff that I already know. However, I really hope they spend some time with us explaining our responsibilities and what is expected of us and stuff like that. I am still a little uncertain of that aspect.

I received my schedule the other day. I start off with internal medicine, which doesn't exactly thrill me. IM is probably one of my least favorite subjects. However, it is a necessary evil and something I have to be knowledgeable in. The attending I will be working with works a lot of hours. I am talking like 14 or 15 hours a day. I don't know if I am going to be expected to be there all day or if I am just going to work my 12 hours and then let whoever is on call that night take over when their shift begins. Either way, I am going from a mostly empty schedule here in June to a completely full schedule in July. While I like a little time off just like everyone else, I am really ready to get busy again. Taking a few days off here and there is completely fine, but I haven't worked much for the past 5 or 6 weeks. From a strictly academic standpoint, a lot changes in 5 weeks. I was in the doctor's office just yesterday and saw an ad for a new arthritis medication that I have never heard of before. Probably just came out. Things in medicine change fast. Plus I know I am not as good at my job now as I was before this break. I am definitely a use it or lose it person, so the longer I am off, the worse off I am. From a personal standpoint, I don't think I handle all of this free time all that well. I can keep myself entertained for a week or two, but anything beyond that I start to get bored. I am actually looking forward to getting the ball rolling on all of this and staying busy and keeping a low profile.

I would like to thank Sarah for planning the party on Saturday, my parents for hosting and helping with everything, and everyone for coming out and enjoying a wonderful Saturday afternoon. I had a nice time seeing and talking to everyone. Thanks for coming!

My Thoughts On E3 2010

I remember as a kid getting the E3 preview issue of Gamepro sometime around April and getting excited by all of the previews of new games and systems that were to come out within the next year. It was one of the most exciting parts of the year for video games, second probably to only Christmas. Things have changed a bit over the years. The internet now provides us with a lot of the news delivered during E3 weeks before the event happens. Because of this, some of the surprise element is gone, but that isn't to say that I expected everything I read about and saw at this year's E3. There were still several things that I saw that surprised me.

E3 stands for the electronic entertainment expo. It is held annually in Los Angeles. It is a convention where all of the big software and hardware developers get together to showcase what they are working on and what to expect to see on the market in the next year or so. All companies at the convention have demonstrations and press conferences to announce stuff, and a lot of it doesn't interest me too much. However, some of it does so below I am going to discuss my thoughts on what interested me from this year's E3 convention.

• Hardware was big this year, but to be honest I am not too excited about Sony's Move. Not yet anyway. First of all, I thought this was a cool concept when I first saw it 5 years ago and it was called the Wii. Secondly, it remains to be seen who Sony is actually targeting with this device. I have a feeling a lot of the software that supports it will target the family friendly/young kid demographic. The PS3 already has the hard core audience, so I bet they will be trying to cut into Nintendo's younger gamer demographic. Until I see some evidence of this new device affecting games I like, I am not getting too excited.
• I've never been a huge fan of hand held games, but I actually think the Nintendo 3DS sounds pretty cool. I won't ever buy one but I wouldn't mind getting my hands on one to experience the 3D effect. Maybe this technology will transfer over to home systems in the near future?
• I finally saw footage of the new Zelda game! I knew they were going to show it this year and this was one of the highlights of the show for me. The game play looked fantastic as it uses the Wii MotionPlus to accurately map the sword motions you make on the game. The game looked a little cartoony for me. Twilight Princess is probably my favorite Zelda game and it had a very dark look to it, which I loved. I am hoping they just chose bright areas for their demo and the whole game doesn't look like a giant cartoon world. They even revealed the name: The Skyward Sword. They also announced that the music would be orchestrated, which is great news because the game has a fantastic score. As one guy on G4 put it, Nintendo could have displayed a blank screen and just played the music and I would have been excited. Overall I was impressed with what I saw. Like I said, a little cartoony but overall it looked great. The only downside is that this game isn't going to be released until sometime in 2011, but I am really looking forward to this one.
• Only some news on Gran Turismo 5, the other game besides The Skyward Sword that I was really looking forward to hearing about at E3. Sony set an official release date of November 2. I will believe that when I see it, as numerous release dates have been set for this game and have passed with the game not being released. They had a few trailers but really more of the same stuff that we've all already seen. Nothing new. The game will have over 1,000 cars (!!) that fill two categories. Approximately 800 go into the standard category which show minor damage but nothing catastrophic. The other 200 go into the professional category which will show major damage and include individual cockpit views. NASCAR is featured in the game and you can drive the cars on any of the tracks. The game will feature rollovers for the first time. I am really excited that damage is included in this game. As great as the Gran Turismo series is, it is a little unrealistic how you can ram your way through the field hitting anything in site and it not having a negative consequence. I also want more cars on the track at a time and smarter AI drivers, two other aspects of the GT series that I think is lacking. There was no word on either of this, so I guess it's just more waiting to find out. The one bit of news that was released is that the test track from Top Gear is included in the game (The Stig even made an appearance in the trailer). As I've mentioned numerous times, Top Gear is a car show based out of the UK that can be seen on BBC America. It is an amusing show where they test drive a lot of cars and have a lot of challenges with cars. On the show Sarah and I watched last night, they made a rocket out of a car. It didn't end well. Anyway, I was excited to see they included this in the game. Gran Turismo 5 might be my most anticipated game of all time. I guess I just have to wait until November (hopefully) to find out more.
• The trailer for the new Metal Gear Solid game titled Rising was shown. The game looked fantastic as usual and I will be keeping my eye on it in the future. It's a multiplatform game being released on both the PS3 and the Xbox 360. They showed a ton of sword action during the demo, and as this article from IGN reports, it seems as if Konami is trying to get a better mixture of stealth and action out of this new game. This, of course, goes against what made Metal Gear Solid so great and unique in the first place: its one man army, kill in silence, sneaky action. The verdict for me on this game is still undecided. I thought Metal Gear Solid 4 was fantastic and it featured a lot of action too so maybe I will like this new one as well.
  
• Finally, I really did not expect to see a GoldenEye remake for the Wii. That was quite surprising.

Red Dead Redemption

System: PS3
IGN Score: 9.7
Release Year: 2010


The wild west and cowboys and Indians not only play a big part in American history but also in our pop culture. However, for whatever reason I have never been terribly interested in this time period of our history. Honestly I am more interested in European civilization, stuff like the crusades and the medieval times. As far as American history is concerned, I am more into 20th century history, with the world wars and space exploration and more modern stuff. Western expansion and Lewis & Clark and Sam Houston and the Alamo are just not my cup of tea. With that being said, I had my eye on Red Dead Redemption for several months before it was released. This is mostly because it is a game made by Rockstar, the same company responsible for the Grand Theft Auto games. The video game industry has made few attempts at portraying this time period and most of these games haven't been too good. The Grand Theft Auto games are so darn good, I knew if anyone could make a good western game it would be Rockstar. I was wrong about one thing - this game isn't good, it is fantastic.

I almost didn't buy this game. In the days leading up to its release, I told myself I wasn't going to get it unless it had great ratings. Then IGN gave it a 9.7. Then X-play gave it a 5/5. Then Kevin Pereira raved about it on AOTS. The final straw was when my brother told me how good it was, I decided to take the plunge. I have a fair amount of free time right now anyway so it was a good time to play.

I was not disappointed. I was actually a little shocked at how well I enjoyed this game. John Marston, the main protagonist, is a bad ass from the moment he is introduced. He reminds me a lot of Tommy Vercetti from Vice City with the way he handles himself. John is a former outlaw turned family man after his gang left him for dead during one of their raids. We first meet John on a train on his way to the western city of Armadillo. Government agents have taken his wife and son hostage and in order for John to save his family he must capture his former gang leader Bill Williamson, dead or alive. You meet Bill early in the game, but you quickly learn that capturing him is going to be much more difficult than imagined. What ensues is a wild chase through a huge map of western United States, where you meet tons of interesting characters who help you on your way. You eventually make your way into Mexico where you take part in battles from the 1910 Mexican Revolution, both on the army and rebel side. If you make it through the game you eventually return to the large eastern city of Blackwater (they actually have paved roads there!) after capturing the former gang members. You retire with your wife and son to your ranch northwest of the city to live as a rancher. What happens next is a little surprising and unexpected so I won't go into it, but this is the basic premise of the game.

Yes, this game is basically a Grand Theft Auto game with a different setting, but Rockstar did this western so, so well. The map is huge, similar to San Andreas. The characters and voice acting are excellent. The characters you meet along the way are interesting and all of the little towns are unique and interesting as well. The gunfights are awesome, including the dead eye feature where time temporarily slows down allowing John to shoot multiple things in a quick time span. It sounded dumb to me on paper but in practice it is awesome. You gain fame as you make it through the game and pretty soon people will call out your name asking for help for various stuff, usually when they have something stolen from them. You can choose to help them or not - it's up to you. If you do something illegal, a bounty will be placed on your head and the locals will come after you. You participate in horse and carriage races. You hunt all types of animals, and sometimes they hunt you back. Everything about this game is done so well, it is one of the few games I have ever played where I am not ready to put the controller down and move on once I finished. I don't want this experience to end. I am actually going around and doing the side missions on this game, something rare for me. Currently I am on a quest to find a white stallion, which I must return to a Mexican farm owner in return for the freedom of a Chinese peasant who works on his farm. This has nothing to do with the main story, I just happened to run into these characters in one of the villages I was visiting and decided to help this Chinese man out because I am a nice guy. You don't have to help him, it is totally up to you. And you run into stuff like this all of the time.

I said everything about this game is done so well, but that is kind of a lie. First the small things that bother me about this game. The stages are pretty repetitive. It seems like you do the same stage over and over again for about 80% of the game. Some of the stages are unique but you spend a lot of time fighting villages filled with outlaws. This really is pretty minor as the gunfights are so fun that I don't get tired of doing them. Also there are some graphics hiccups I will call them, but you come across them pretty infrequently and otherwise the game and environments look amazing so this too is pretty minor. However, the major, major issue this game has is that it is buggy as hell. Every review you read mentions this and everyone I've talked to who has played the game has encountered problems. If you play this game long enough, your system will freeze on you. There is no avoiding it. During the course of my game, my system locked up approximately 6 times, including 4 or 5 during the exact same cut scene. I actually thought I was going to have to quit the game because I could not get the game to advance past this cut scene. I kept playing, and it kept locking up. This is all pretty surprising to me. You don't see stuff like this in games all that often, especially not on console games from major game developers. Especially not in games that are ranked 9.7. With the problem so widely reported, I really don't know how this got past their quality control measures before game release.

Despite the bugs, this game is fantastic and I would recommend it to all PS3 owners, especially if you liked Grand Theft Auto (who doesn't?). The game play is great, the sound is great, the characters and environments are great, everything about this game minus the lock-ups are great. The main story takes around 20 hours to complete, and of interest is that I think this game has a high replay value, something Heavy Rain did not feature, so you will get a lot of play for your buck with this one. Play this game. You won't be disappointed.

Site Update

As you have probably noticed, the look of the site has changed! Since I rely on Blogger for this site instead of programming it myself, I am at the mercy of Google for site layout changes. They recently added a lot of new features to improve the look of the site. The new layout has a lot of features that I like. The site has always been green because green is my favorite color. The new green is darker and is closer to the color of green that I like than what I previously had on the site. Secondly, I am now able to adjust the width of the text and navigation columns so now the main text fills more of the screen and isn't as squished, which I like a lot. Thirdly, I made the text slightly larger so it is easier to read. I hope everyone finds the new layout appealing!

In the Meantime

When I am not doing hospital paperwork or working on student loans or running various errands, I have been keeping a pretty laid back schedule. This is a great time of the year for sports, with the NHL and NBA playoffs in full swing. Baseball is finally starting to take off, so I have watched a few Cardinals games. Sarah and I went to an Indianapolis Indians game the other night which was pretty cool. I had never been to an Indians game before. The World Cup is just getting under way, and even though I am not a huge soccer fan, I think the World Cup is a terrific sporting event and will be watching with interest. There has also been plenty of good racing with the IndyCar series in Indianapolis and Texas, and F1 action on Speed as well. So basically I have spent a lot of time in front of the TV which is probably why those physical therapy drills hurt like they did the other day. Besides sports, I have been playing a lot of Red Dead Redemption (more on that in a later post) and watching TV. I thought I would mention that there is a Top Gear marathon this weekend on BBC America. As I have said before, Top Gear is a show about cars made in England. It is wildly entertaining, and I think it is enjoyable even if you only have a mild interest in cars. It is one of our favorite shows, so set your DVRs.





What I really want to do is take this time to talk about Lost. Don't worry - there won't be any spoilers here. I am only in season 2 so I don't know much more now than I did before I started watching.

Unless you've been living in a cave for the past decade or so, I am sure you have heard of Lost. It is a television series on ABC (which just finished a few weeks ago) about an airplane en route from Sydney to Los Angeles which crashes on an island in the middle of the ocean. It quickly becomes apparent that this is no ordinary island, as there are a number of mysterious and dangerous things going on. The show follows the survivors of this plane crash as they try to figure out not only how to get rescued from the island but also what is going on on this mysterious island. Meanwhile, all of the survivors seem to have odd stories regarding their lives and the events immediately preceding them getting on the plane that crashes. As the show discusses things happening on the island, it usually has one character per episode it decided to focus on and tell us more about their history. I am going to leave my description of Lost at that. It has a very complex plot with multiple story lines going on simultaneously. It is a show that asks a lot more questions than it ever answers, and because so much is going on at once, a lot of questions aren't answered for several episodes (or sometimes several seasons). The show is wonderfully written (better than the Sopranos??) and as soon as one episode is over you want to watch the next in hope that some of the new questions are answered.

I've been mildly intrigued by the show for years but never watched it because I knew it would be impossible to pick up in the middle of the series. Sarah just finished the series and she suggested I watch, so I started watching it on Netflix streaming video on the PS3, which works pretty well. It's a great show and I would highly recommend it to anyone with a ton of time to kill, which I have this month. If you don't have Netflix, I think you can still watch most of the episodes for free on ABC's website (or at the library or wherever you rent your movies).

Below are some of the actresses from Lost. There is plenty of eye candy for the ladies too, but I don't specialize in that on this site. You will have to go elsewhere (uh, like Google) if that is your thing.

I can't believe they killed off Shannon (Maggie Grace) so quickly:



Claire (Emilie de Ravin):



Kate (Evangeline Lilly) - Found several good pictures of her and I couldn't decide on one so I decided to put 3:







Sun (Yunjin Kim):



Group photo celebrating what I am sure is multiple awards this show has won:

Financial Advisor

I spent a good amount of time in the first week after graduation dealing with paperwork for the hospital and trying to wrap up some last minute school stuff. I had to talk to human resources about getting my ID and filling out my state and federal tax forms. I had to get a physical which included some physical therapy type exercises. That was the first time I had to do anything like for a job, which was odd. The exercises were pretty laid back, but my I could still feel it in my thighs the next day, proof of how out of shape I am. I had to get another ppd test for tuberculosis. I have seriously had close to 10 ppd tests over the past four years. I had to fill out forms applying for a temporary medical license for Indiana. All medical graduates get temporary medical licenses that last one year until they pass step 3 of the national board exams, which I should take sometime during my intern year. All of that took three days or so to do. However, something I started during my first week that I am still trying to get completely straightened out is my student loan stuff.

I was lucky in that I had my undergraduate education paid for so this is the first time I have really ever had to deal with student loans. We had a financial advisor come talk to us right before graduation which I was thankful for because honestly this loan stuff is a mess. He explained the options we have for borrowers and I think a lot of what he said made sense so I am basically taking his advice on how to handle my loan repayments.

Here is the scoop, and I guarantee it will get your head spinning: I have 11 total loans of three different loan types out through two different lenders. One of my lenders quit lending during the financial crisis beginning in 2008. All of my loans are federal education loans, i.e. I have no private loans. Some of them have been accruing interest during the life of the loan, some have not. Those that have not will begin accruing interest I think within 6 months. If I sit at home and do nothing, I will automatically be placed in a 10 year repayment plan where my bills will be a few thousand dollars a month starting in November. Obviously that isn't doable, so the financial advisor in Pennsylvania said that the new (as of 2009) option to do income-based repayment would be good for us. This allows us to pay off the loans and the bill is based on income and number of people in the household. The government picks up the interest for the first three years with this plan. And here is the kicker - if I make 120 payments (10 years) while working for a 501(c)(3) organization (not-for-profit), the remaining portion of my loans will be forgiven. According to the guy in Pennsylvania, approximately 80% of hospitals fall into this category, including the one I will be working for starting next month. However, in order to qualify for these repayment options, you have to have direct federal loans, which I do not. So now I am in the process of consolidating all of my loans to direct federal loans, leaving the two private lenders I have behind, and letting the department of education control my student debt. I wouldn't have really known any of this if the guy in Pennsylvania hadn't come talk to us, so I am glad that he was around. Even if you ask other residents who went through this just a few years ago what they did, it is likely that what they will tell you will be out dated or not an option as a lot has changed in the past few years. For example, medical residents used to be able to apply for economic hardship and postpone their payments until after residency. This is no longer an option as they use new rules to define economic hardship and medical residents make too much money to apply under the new rules.

In the meantime, I've filled out the consolidation application and need to call and check on that either later today or tomorrow. One of my lenders has already started sending me a bill for one of my loan types. I called them three or four times and could never get a hold of anyone (there is no option to talk to someone in their automated system) so finally today I pressed zero like 6 times and it transferred me to a real life person. She said that specific loan type doesn't have a grace period, which is odd because I have the same type of loan through the other lender and it is in grace until late November. I don't really understand what is going on there, so I guess I am going to try to delay payments for awhile because I really don't want another $800 bill every month right now.

All of this paperwork is really a pain and every time I sit down to work on it I spend at least a couple of hours dealing with it. It will be nice if and when everything is consolidated and sitting in one place and I have one group to deal and I have more predictable bills coming every month instead of random large bills that tend to appear out of nowhere, which is what is happening now.

What Now?

Now that I've graduated it seems obvious that I am going to spend my career being a physician, but what isn't so obvious is what, exactly, I will be doing. Unlike an undergraduate degree where most people don't actually "use" their degree in their career field (with the exception of very specific degrees like nursing or engineering - though I have a cousin with an engineering degree who apparently is going to work for an accounting firm), I thought that once I graduated medical school it would be fairly obvious what I would be doing for my job. However if you were to ask me what I will be doing or where I will be in 5 years, I honestly don't have an answer for either question.

In some respects, I feel a little let down by the osteopathic education system. Don't get me wrong, I feel adequately prepared to be a physician. But I feel like I could have had better counseling, better guidance, more help during my third and fourth years of school in regards to what I would be doing after graduation. I also feel a little restricted with residency choices, especially compared to MD students who have a lot more choices. Sometimes I wonder if I am doing the correct thing with residency - just settling here because it was convenient. Settling because Sarah already had a job and we already lived here and we really like Indianapolis and we are close to family, etc. I didn't do much of a search. The hospital I am at is small but the residents ahead of me seem more than competent and most of the staff and physicians are quite nice.

There are so many options and choices for me to make. Am I going to work mostly in an office or hospital or a mix? Am I going to own my own business or work for a hospital? Am I going to work at nursing homes or in emergency rooms? I have really enjoyed obstetrics so am I going to do an obstetric fellowship and incorporate that into my practice? There are lots of questions and to an extent it annoys me a bit. There is part of me that wishes I knew the answers now. I guess that is part of what makes life exciting - not always knowing what to expect.

For now my job is to go to work everyday, work hard, help my patients, and learn as much as I can. I am only 26 now, so I should be finished with residency and be a board-certified physician before I am 30, which is pretty darn young for such a position. I feel like there is always time to do what is necessary if I don't like the situation I am in. It is a multi-step process and so far I only have a few of the steps finished. Sometimes I just wish I knew what was going to happen because a large part of me is ready to leave this month-to-month stuff behind and move into a more regular long-term routine. As of now I am basically doing more of the same from the past two years which is why I always kind of hesitate when people ask me "How does it feel to be finished?"

Happy Birthday Anna!

Anna K turns 29 today. Seems like a long time ago when she was in the spotlight for her tennis career and getting tons of attention for her good looks. Today she maintains a low profile and spends most of her time doing charity work for various organizations. She is a person who seems to have a genuine good heart, and kudos to her for doing something good with her fame and money instead of blowing it on coke a la Lindsay Lohan. I had the privilege of meeting Ms. Kournikova last summer in Philadelphia and have seen her play several times over the years. So to my favorite celebrity/athlete of all time, happy birthday!

Finished? Sort of.

The events from the past weekend still haven't set in yet. I don't know if it is because I don't have to move to a different city (or state) like so many of my colleagues. I don't know if it is because I have already been to the hospital where I am now employed so many times that it doesn't feel all new. I don't know if it is because I haven't really been at school much at all the past two years because I have been away doing rotations. The two years we lived in Pennsylvania and I was doing heavy studying seems like a long, long time ago. I don't know what it is, but the fact that I just graduated medical school really has not set in yet.

To me, when I report to my new job in a few weeks I will be in the same city I've been in for the past two years, at the same hospital, working with the same people I've been working with. Not much will have changed. The only thing that changes is that I have slightly more responsibility now. I have two letters behind my name and that allows me to write instructions on a piece of paper and people will follow them. I am now second lowest on the totem pole instead of lowest. This is, of course, a little scary because I am not any smarter now than I was two weeks ago, or two months ago for that matter. This means I still have to study and I still have to read because now choices I make actually have the ability to affect people and I want to make sure I am doing the right thing. I guess the other thing that is changing is that for the first time since 2005 I will have an income.

Yes, some things are finished. I no longer have to report to people in Pennsylvania. I escaped that odd entity relatively unharmed. It will be nice not having to drive there occasionally as it is quite out of the way. I do have a degree now to prove my accomplishment. I no longer have to pay tuition. Although I do have to pay student loans. Truthfully, I would rather pay tuition because that money doesn't come straight out of my bank account like repaying the loans does. I also still have tests, so it isn't like that aspect is finished either (and as long as I am board certified, I will have tests for the rest of my career).

So yes, my medical school education is over but my medical education is really just beginning. I say goodbye to Pennsylvania and hello to residency which I am sure will challenge me, especially in my first year. I have the doctor title now, the extra responsibility, more benefits at work (including an income), and student loans to payback. That is all that has changed. Everything else is exactly the same, and in some ways that is a good thing.




On a side note, I would like to thank Sarah, my parents, and all of my friends and family for all of their support throughout my schooling. It would have been impossible to graduate without their help.

Picasa Sucks

I use Picasa to geotag, name tag, and manage my photos, especially the online back-up of the photos. I also use it for the Kournikova screensaver, among other projects. It has been acting up over the past few months and it is really starting to get on my nerves. I don't particularly like having to do all of these tasks multiple times because the program locks-up every time you try to run it. I have put a lot of energy and thought on how to best manage our own personal pictures, and most of it revolves around Picasa. I have never had problems with it after years of use until recently. I hope it improves soon or I am going to have to look for alternatives.