the brazilian jiu jitsu debacle

It's been a bit of a rough week, but things were looking up today. Summer plans seem to be possibly materializing and my sister comes to visit tomorrow.

Yet, the day took a nasty turn! I attended a women's self defense class at a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu academy. I did not know what Jiu Jitsu is-it is a type of martial arts that concerns ground fighting and honing in on your oponent's weaknesses using basic anatomy and physics. Pretty cool. The instructor showed us how with the right moves, we could come out on top in a scuffle. Anyhoo. At the end of the session a handful of adorable little five-year old boys filed in to prepare for the kid's class. They were so cute, until I returned home to discover that one had drawn on the backside of my white, northface supercute coat with ballpoint pen in the changing room. see photo! gasp! The stain must either be fully removed or the culprit must pay. I would even go to the GI jiu jitsu kids class with hopes of speaking with the mysterious culprit's parents. I love kids, but boy they can be be descrutive.

Little Bits of Joy

These things brought me joy and made me laugh while studying.

• "Regulation poorly understood." Yay! I do not need to learn the regulation of this ion. Haha for the future generations that will discover, learn, memorize, and be tested on this detail. (disclosure- I actually am pro-scientific-advancement)
• This video on youtube: Me Singing A Whole New World Disney's Aladdin Nick Pitera
  
• I woke up to hearing a snowblower. Date check: March 9th. One more month of possible snow? Why does my march desk calender flaunt blooming daisies? So deceptive. For now, I will take joy in slopping through slush, dragging my winter coat with me everywhere, drinking cozy tea, and momentarily gazing at the snow--snow that I found beautiful in January, and a fact of life now in March.
• This is ridiculous. Weddings at McDonald's.
  

That is all. Just waiting for a whole lot of joy after tomorrow's physiology exam is over. The final study countdown continues.

40 Days and 40 Nights without Facebook

I have one exam left before the end of this interminable exam week. Cell and Tissue Biology-check. Neuroanatomy check. Only Physiology left. Oh to conquer the magic that happens in the kidney. So much solitary study time leads me to several thoughts:

• In only four days I will be in Ecuador!
  
• I think I travel through O'Hare, maybe. Anyways, at O'Hare airport not only do I pretend to be Macaulay Culkin's mother from Home Alone, dashing through the airport to rush back to little Kevin; I also love seeing the Dentyne Ice ads that hang in between two terminals. They make me smile! (see above).
  
• The ads leave me to think about Facebook. In the hours of studying, I obviously need some breaks and Facebook tends to be in the top five of 5 min breaks. This is perhaps unfortunate. Wouldn't it be nicer to call a friend? Write a catch-up email? Maybe even a little snail mail or lament with a classmate the hours left to become mini-masters of renal function?
  
• Tomorrow is Mardi Gras--unfortunately the highlight of my celebrations will probably be munching a few Girl Scout thin mints and the gym.
  

Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. As a kid in Catholic School it was a day filled with hype around the ash cross placed on your forehead with the blessing, "Remember, thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return." We compared ashen-cross size and shape. Later, I came to cherish the day as a reminder of mortality and humility. Traditionally, Lenten penance; be it prayer, fasting, or almsgiving; is a way to prepare for the Resurrection of Christ at Easter.

This year, I'm taking a modern fast, a Facebook fast. I would like to think of it as a way to gain serenity and to deepen relationships. Maybe after Lent, I will be ready to use FB more sparingly as a well-honed tool for connecting with friends and acquaintances.

I still plan on requesting friends, confirming friend requests and offering Birthday Wishes--just in person and on the phone! I also just realized this is during my Birthday month, which will be especially hard. Even though it is silly, it is fun to read birthday posts. I will triumph over Facebook breaks.

Almost Spring Break! Almost time to leave the land of highlighters, sticky-post its, 3 ring binders, and wikipedia articles on physiology terms that do not strike me as familiar!

Because it is nearly Valentine's Day. . .

and oysters are said-to-be an aphrodisiac, my favorite quote from A Moveable Feast:

"As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans."
--Ernest Hemingway

PS. I will begin writing again this week. Finally.

Oregon Salmon Patties + Caper Tartar Sauce = Amazing

The title pretty much says it all. Living on a student budget, this recipe felt gourmet and was so scrumptious (and not pasta or a sandwich)! The main ingredients are actually quite simple:

Salmon Patties: canned salmon, sauteed onion, butter, crackers, 2 eggs, dry mustard, & shortening (I left the shortening out. I guess learning about fatty-acid synthesis in Biochem today didn't inspire me to add extra lard--I know butter counts, but it is just SO GOOD and buttery.)

Caper Tarter Sauce: capers, mayo, lemon juice, salt & pepper, and some dried garlic just for kicks. I do admit that capers are the one semi-splurge. I think you can get them on the cheaper side at Trader Joe's. Yet, they bring me so much joy and one little jar lasts so long, that it is well worth it. yum.

PS: Click on Title for link to recipe!

PPS: There was an attempted coup d'etat in Ecuador today. Sounds like "a bit" of chaos. In Portoviejo, where I lived, banks and the shopping center are prey to thieves. There is no active police force right now. BBC tells more here.

i have a pet spider

I have a pet spider. I suppose her name could be Lucille. I know this may be difficult to understand. My desk sits next to a window that has a screen. Outside my window lives Lucille.

Lucille is the size of a large silver dollar. Her black legs have yellow stripes. Possibly this is to alert me that she is dangerous. She is visible usually only when the sun isn't shining. It just started to pour and Lucille seems to feel at home in the dreary weather. If there is a large gust of wind, she holds tightly to her fierce web.

From time to time, I imagine moving Lucille from her window-location. I mean, spiders are a bit creepy. Yet in the hours upon hours of biochem, human development, and anatomy--she is always there. What is a spider's lifetime anyways?

I leave you with a quote from E.B. White's classic Charlotte's Web:

"You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing. I wove my webs for you because I liked you. After all, what's a life, anyway? We're born, we live a little while, we die. A spider's life can't help being something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone's life can stand a little of that."
~Charlotte

Perhaps Lucille the Spider and I have some sort of a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship. Hopefully Lucille survies the storm.

"Are you a cuddley sleeper?"--Lessons in Practical Anatomy

I am now three weeks into medical school. Next week is exams. Thus, Labor Day, yes indeed equals a day of laborious studying. Luckily--anatomy of the upper limb does have some practical implications. As Ross points out in the below "Friends" clip, cuddling all night long might sound cute, but there is an anatomical reason that it might not be so comfy. The lovely head of a recently blushing bride often finds its resting place right on the radial nerve of the debonaire husband. Given that the radial nerve innervates your triceps, and all of the extensor muscles of your forearm--this can lead to "Honeymooner's Palsy." (Think painfully flexed elbow and wrist). Oh, hark, what to do?! Don't flip, Ross will gives some pointers on the "hug-n-roll:"