creeeeeeeeeeepes

why won't you stay in my brain, knowledge!?!!!?!!??!??! why why why why why

5 for 5...it is my lucky number

And besides, I didn't want to scare blog readers by having them read the TMI post first...If you read this, skip down 5 posts, starting at Restaurant Week and READ UP!!!

Anyway, happy bday to my friend back home, you know who you are, and also my very cute niece, Amy who turned 4 a few days ago but had her party today. I wish I could say, "I am there in spirit" but really my spirit is right here firmly rooted in my body....you can't have it. Ok that's it I'm going to bed, I swear.

I wish they invented sendable kisses so I can send my wet, sloppy one your guys' way. Does that work on a hallmark card?

Hope the rest of you had an awesome weekend.

this is probably TMI

OK 4 for 4...I just can't stop!

So I just would like to mention that the saddle on my road bike is killing me! It hurts like I have never been hurt before. I have, for the first time in 2 years of riding, saddle sores. It is not pretty and I'm contemplating buying a new saddle, but as with most things, there is a trial period and a break in period for saddles so I wouldn't know what to get????

Tomorrow I will ride 40 miles through the hills of Philadelphia. I hope my saddle behaves and somehow grows extra padding over night.

Yes if it is TMI, I am sorry, but I said I'd share the trials and tribulations of living in Philadelphia, this is a trial...and possibly a tribulation too...although I don't know what that means. Just looked it up, it means suffering due to oppression and persecution from misbehaving bicycle saddles. It's true look it up.

Oh if you'd like to see the offender, here she is:

Yes it does look like a torture device, but I swear it was comfortable for the past 8 months that I've had it. Really, it was.

final results

I'm going 3 for 3 tonight!

Well, I scored above 90% and well above the means for my class and the med school kids, yes I call them kids, because honestly, I'm old enough to be their older brother...their much cooler older brother...yes that's what I am. Ok not really, but I scored above 90% for two of the exams, the third exam, the practical one, I did pretty bad, it was embarrassingly terrible, but I have no shame so I will tell you that I got a 71...or 72, or 73, I forgot, it was above my class mean and slightly below the med school mean, ok it was about 6 or 7 percent below the med school mean. Ya it's bad, but I think it's not too late to bounce back and get an A at the end of the semester. I must confess that I took that class, which is microscopic anatomy lab, not so seriously until around exam time. I think I never took any labs too seriously, maybe that's why I only got B's and B+'s on lab courses in undergrad.

That trend needs to change I think, this is the big leagues now, ok it's more like training camp for the big leagues, but if you don't train hard now, you can't play when the season starts right??? I will definitely take each upcoming lab session VERY VERY VERY seriously. I'm going to master this stuff and kick major buttage.

If you're wondering what THIS stuff is, look here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histology

getting hammered

So I've had a few exams and quizzes now and have had the opportunity to unwind and relax with friends over a few brews. But one problem I'm finding is that it's not as easy for me to get hammered drunk or even buzzed for that matter as it was back in socal. I dunno what it is, maybe they make wussy beer here for the weak sauce east coasters, no offense to east coasters because there are very cool people here. Or maybe I'm finally growing up and as an ADULT, I need MORE beers and alcohols to become well and fully intoxicated. I dunno, but this clearly is a MAJOR problem, as if I cannot relax by getting drunk off my behind, what the heck do I do to unwind then????

By the way, there is this local beer here called Yuengling, pronounced Yungling or Yingling, your choice, personally I like Yungling, but I think I'm the only one. Anyway, it is quite delicious this beer here, you must try it.

Restaurant week

So philly has this thing called restaurant week, where for one whole week you have the opportunity to visit some of philly's most distinguished (read $$$$) restaurants for the low low price of $35 for a three course meal. So I went to one of Stephen Starr's FAMED restaurants called Tangerine with some friends and had a pretty ok meal. Ok actually, the appetizer course was delicious, it was potato balls covered in a fried crusty thing that was seasoned to perfection, so deliciouse. The main course was alright, the chicken was sort of fried with seasonings and it was ok tasting. The couscous that was under the chicken wasn't all that spectacular. The dessert, oh the dessert. It was panna cotta over cough syrup, or at least it tasted like cough syrup, except it's the old fashioned cough syrup without the delicious flavoring. It was truly disgusting. The panna cotta itself was delicate and sweet though. There was also this sugar cracker thing over it that also hinted of robitussin.

I must add though the interior decor of the restaurant was really really superbly done, it was a bit dark, but hey I guess it floats their boat. They had a spacious lounge area out front that I know most of you would love to hang out in and have a few drinks with me...hint hint hint, next vaca destination...Philadelphia.

Then to top it off, the waiter charged me with my dinner mate's bill and she ordered wine. So I paid for it, she owes me a big time lunch baby, you better believe it.

Then to top off the evening, I got a stinking parking ticket because I was late to the meter by 5 or 10 minutes. I think the meter lady was standing there tapping her foot waiting for the meter to run out. It was only $26 though so could be worse I guess.

Then to top it off...no I'm kidding, my night couldn't've gotten worse.

Here's a picture of the main course:

Yes through all the deliciousness/coughy droopy roller coaster of a dining experience, I forgot to take pics of the appetizer and dessert and my dinner mates. Next time!

relief...kinda

so just finished my biochem exam. rode the bike home in the rain, stopped by some places to get some things, then since I was famished, I stopped by Jim's Steaks and got 2 cheesesteaks, one with whiz prov and another with just whiz. That's cheese whiz and provolone cheese. I just ate it all and it was delicious. Exams make me so hungry.

I am excited for the weekend. Sorry for the people I put on the back burner, I will give you guys a call right now.

niece

so I took the exam, that's about all I'll say until scores come out. I probably failed the practical...ok that's all I'll say.

Anyway, my cousin wants me to come back home on the 21st for her daughter's birthday. Wait does that make her my niece? Here she is:



her name is Amy, she's turning 4, she likes to do things on her own and she refers to herself in 3rd person...as in "Amy hungry", "Amy wanna go down" (when she's being carried, which she doesn't like). I wish airplanes ran on love, that way I can fly for free and pollute the air with happyness instead of hydrocarbons! It's very hard to resist...

the mostest...

the most difficult exam ever to be conceived by the highly educated minds of scientists who's goal it is to train increasingly qualified medical professionals in these contiguous United States of America is befallen upon yours truly to attempt to complete and obtain a score that reflects the correctness of the answer to at least one question...if I get half a point tomorrow, I will die a happy man

more exams

So this is the week for exams for the second block. I have 2 exams, one on wednesday in microanatomy (which is microscopic anatomy, aka histology, aka the study of slices of tissue and the cellular structures that can be found there) and another exam friday for biochemistry.

I am scared to death of microanatomy. It consists of a practical section where we identify structures on slides or pictures and a written section. I am scared to death of microanatomy. I just took a practice practical and didn't do so good. I am scared to death of microanatomy. So don't mind the whining and crying come wednesday afternoon, it's just me wallowing in self pity.

well hope your week will be better than mine

Castles of Philly

Rode my bicycle today and finally remembered to take the camera along. These were taken while I was gasping for breath....not from the grandness of the homes I saw mind you, but from the intense hors categorie climbs I just finished...yes I am that cool.

Gaze upon real estate perfection:

With the castle above you also get a 6 car garage, yes that is a 3 car garage standing by itself to the right...the other 3 are attached to the home.

This will be what greets your guests each time they come to visit.

Italian/Spanish/I dunno style villa...I had to take this one quick because the owner was waving his boomstick around.