Just FYI, readers, this blog is probably going to be very focused on my interview experiences over the next few months. I've been asked by various people to recount any interesting stories or experiences over the course of the interview trail, and far be it from me to displease my audience. So expect sort of a sporadic travel journal, unless I get tired of it all and just reduce it all to "Interview: Fine. Stuff happened. Good times. Sleep now."

So my first interview was at the University of Louisville, in Louisville, Kentucky, home of baseball bats and the Kentucky Derby. I arrived Sunday afternoon at the hotel where the program made a reservation for us, called The Brown Hotel. Its a pretty swanky little number, let me tell you, looking like it came out of that 1930's style of big downtown hotels with lots of decor and class. Certainly beats the Motel 6, and hey, they're paying.

Dinner the night before (also on the University's dime) was delicious and quite a bit of fun. If you put that many strangers (8 applicants, 3 interns, one resident and some spouses) in a room together, you can expect some awkward silences, but really there were maybe one or two pauses in a 2 hour meal, so it was a lively time.

Its important to note that the interns looked pretty happy about being there, and had good things to say about their experiences and their lives. Also important is if you get honest answers when you ask what they DON'T like about the program, because anyone who says "nothing!" is clearly a lying pawn of the Secret Shadow Council of Residency Directors.

The interview day itself was about 6 hours long, only one hour of which was actual honest-to-God "interviewing." The rest consisted mostly of touring the main adult hospital and pediatric hospital, along with attending conference and more eating food. I had three brief interviews, two of which were about 20-25 minutes, the other only about 10-15 minutes. Only one of them really felt like what I expect an interview to be like:

Interviewer: Hello, helpless applicant! I have everything important you have done with your life here on these papers you call an "application," and I am now going to question you about it randomly and haphazardly until I am satisfied! Ready? GO!

Me: EEP!

Except she was also very nice and not as intimidating as that probably sounds.

The other interviews were, as I have come to expect from hearing my classmates talk about their interviews, mostly them trying to sell the program itself to me. I also had the chance to ask some questions and felt satisfied by the results, to the point where at the end of the day, I felt like I could be reasonably happy as a resident there. Can't ask for much more than that.

A survey of facial hair over the course of the day lead me to award the University of Louisville a one out of five possible beards. There was only scant facial hair around, the occasional moustache or van dyke perhaps, so I feel they need to improve this facet of their program lest my beard feel lonely if I were to match there. Please enjoy my hastily made icons for illustrative purposes:





Perhaps its because its early still in the winter, but I do feel like they could put a bit more effort into growing good beards. Get back to me on that, Louisville.

Thursday: Interview at Vanderbilt, my home program!

Hey all, just thought I'd throw this out there: My first residency interview is on Monday. Its in Louisville, KY, which thankfully is not a terribly long drive from here.

Most "interviews" actually consist of a dinner with current residents the night before, followed by an 8-ish hour day of tours and presentations and maybe an hour or two of honest-to-goodness interviewing. From friends of mine who have already had interviews at various places, it seems like most of the actual "interviewing" is just various faculty members telling you how great their program is, not so much finding out more about you or why you might want to go there. I'm perfectly fine with this, as I am treating these interviews as fact-finding missions to see where I want to spend the next (and hardest?) four years of my life.

Yet none of that is as important as the discovery of Lobster Chops (See below)

I'll be sure to let you know how it goes!

-D

It all started with this picture:



The conversation went something like:

Guy 1: Well, looks like I know what I'm doing tomorrow.

Guy 2: Growing mutton chops and mad scientist hair?

Guy 1: Technically I'd be shaving down to Mutton Chops. Which is something I'm considering when the spring rolls 'round.

Me: Mutton Chops? More like LOBSTER CHOPS!

Guy 2: Incorrect. The lobsters appear beardless. Perhaps this can be corrected with Guy 1's beard shavings and the liberal application of superglue.

Guy 1: I'm more inclined to think [he] wants us to glue lobsters to our faces in place of said chops. That would be true lobster chops. Though your idea has merit.

Me: Lobster chops using lobsters WHO THEMSELVES HAVE MUTTON CHOPS.

Guy 2: YES

Me: (To the rest of the forum) Someone with artistic talent, we have a commission for you!

Guy 4 (The guy with artistic talent): After visually looking at this, I don't think it'll ever be fashionable.

(He reveals the following, which he has drawn)

(Have you ever seen a happier man with two lobsters on the sides of his face? I THINK NOT)

Guy 1: This is the best thing posted here in years. AWESOME.

Me: I am not quite sure how, but I am going to find some way to honor this appropriately. Oh, and did I mention Guy 4 is my new hero? Because he is.

Thus endeth the "tail" of the Lobster Chops (so far...)

It's been a while since I've posted. Life's been kinda crazy, but I'm sure I'll be posting more often once we hit December! The two main purposes of this entry are a lyrics post and countdowns. I'll start with the countdowns...

Countdowns
Thanksgiving: 3 weeks
Cruise: 4 weeks
My Birthday: 4 weeks, 1 day
Hanukkah: 1 month, 6 days
New Years: 1 month, 3 weeks, 5 days

We're going up to Maryland for both Thanksgiving AND New Years this year, which I'm very excited about! I can't wait to see my family and friends up there :)

And now I'll leave you with the lyrics post. This song has captivated me, and the music video is one of the most interesting I've ever seen, it literally gives me goosebumps! You can watch it on youtube here: Owl City, "Fireflies" music video. Check it out!

Owl City, "Fireflies"

You would not believe your eyes
If ten million fireflies
Lit up the world as I fell asleep

'Cause they'd fill the open air
And leave teardrops everywhere
You'd think me rude
But I would just stand and stare

I'd like to make myself believe
That planet Earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay
Awake when I'm asleep
'Cause everything is never as it seems

'Cause I'd get a thousand hugs
From ten thousand lightning bugs
As they tried to teach me how to dance

A foxtrot above my head
A sock hop beneath my bed
A disco ball is just hanging by a thread

I'd like to make myself believe
That planet Earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay
Awake when I'm asleep
'Cause everything is never as it seems
When I fall asleep

Leave my door open just a crack
(Please take me away from here)
'Cause I feel like such an insomniac
(Please take me away from here)
Why do I tire of counting sheep
(Please take me away from here)
When I'm far too tired to fall asleep

To ten million fireflies
I'm weird 'cause I hate goodbyes
I got misty eyes as they said farewell

But I'll know where several are
If my dreams get real bizarre
'Cause I saved a few and I keep them in a jar

I'd like to make myself believe
That planet Earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay
Awake when I'm asleep
'Cause everything is never as it seems
When I fall asleep

I'd like to make myself believe
That planet Earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay
Awake when I'm asleep
'Cause everything is never as it seems
When I fall asleep

I'd like to make myself believe
That planet Earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay
Awake when I'm asleep
Because my dreams are bursting at the seams

Good People,

I am alive and much has happened.

Unfortunately, I am exhausted. Just wanted to let you know that I am, indeed, alive... and well.

Peace and love, my babies!
- Krolowa Emilia

Popcorn by Ben Elton


My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Dear P has to read this for school - he has read the first chapter and is not impressed at all. It does seem a rather obscure choice. So I am reading it for him...

On the morning after the night it happened, Bruce Delamitri was sitting in a police interview room.

Characters:

Bruce Delamitri - Hollywood golden boy
Farrah Delamitri - spouse, model, rock singer and now corpse.
Girl and boy Mall Killers
Errol and Mr. Snuff - actor gangsters (again - think Travolta and Jackson in Pulp Fiction, especially the way they constantly debate)
Professor Chambers - a Mr Chips type of character

Chapters 1 & 2
Read Tarantino as Delamitri, and the start of Pulp Fiction for the Mall killers. Moral arguments about society mimicking films.

Chapter 3 & 4
Oscar for Best Director; dreadful acceptance speech. SWAT team enters Bruce's Mansion (that sounds like Batman doesn't it!). Errol and Mr Snuff are shown plying their skills.

Chapter 5 & 6
Back to just before the Oscar ceremonies has Bruce addressing his Alma Mater at USC. Important phase here is 'ironic juxtaposition'. Cut to cheap cowboy woman practically masturbating to music in a dive of a mid-day shit-house bar.


Think Kill BIll!

Chapter 7 and 8
Highlighting - Feminist angle. Electric chair. Middle class white kids wishing to dress and talk 'dude' - generation X. Gruesome film action to the sound of chirpy music (ironic juxtapositioning again)

Chapters 9 & 10
MAD - Mothers Against Death. The females that follow Bruce around, heckling him, because they accuse him of influencing, via the silver screen, those two Mall Killers into randomly killing their children. Jack Daniels. Twinkies.

Important phrase: 'I stand here on legs of fire'. Used within the acceptence speech and reiterated throughout the book. Bruce is ashamed at the utter crap that he spewed but this particularly asinine phrase haunts him.

Chapter 11 & 12
Oscar party. Wayne and Scout.

Chapter 13 & 14
Scout and Wayne. A peeling/Appealing. A 'mid-day shit-house bar' moment.

Chapter 15 & 16
Film influences Brooke. "Bruce look behind you." Sheeeee-it! Bikini line shaving.

Chapter 17 & 18
A Severed Head and we not talking talking Iris Murdoch.

Chapter 19 & 20
Enter from stage precinct - Detectives Crawford and Jay. A Chicago moment(page 185)

Chapter 21 & 22
Kurt. Karl. Uh-oh.

Chapter 23 & 24
Bulimic Susan.Mr Chop Chop and a sock in the chops.

Chapter 25 & 26
Early Bruce and Farrah. Is a blow job the same as a nose job? Reporters. Choppers. "What we are looking for is someone else to take the blame."

Chapter 27 & 28
Reporters.Centre stage for the media.

Chapter 29 & 30
"Scout 'n' me are your fault."

Chapter 31 & 32 & 33 & 34 & 35 & 36 & 37 & 38 &39
Deep down, everyone wants to get on TV. Ratings. I KEEL YOU! It's my job, I'm a maniac. Pavlov. She's my mom. SWAT. Epilogue

i haven't taken my 5htp, p5p, blah blah blah pills for a while now. the ones that help my head be normal.

now i'm developing paranoia

i want to see where this goes

i want to know if being short of vitamins and such will help me RUIN MY LIFE

really

i saw dog bodies on the highway... i heard footsteps in the printer... the sums of daily life aren't making sense

no sense

2+3=7, right? or rather... there is 7 therefore it must be 2+3... not 3+4 or 2+5 or 1+6 etc... it HAS to be 2+3 because that's the only thing that makes sense...

but it doesn't.. and i know it doesn't... so i'm not technically crazy... but my brain does go there.

i mean i could just take my damn vitamins...

whatever... sometimes it's nice to have your psyche go to a bad place for a while... like taking a vacation. it also makese life MORE SERIOUS. and that's a kick in the pants

we all need a kick in the pants sometimes

right?

So residency interviews start in a week. I had let my beard grow untrimmed for about three and a half months (before which it was still grown out to maybe the length of 1-2 months). So I took some pictures before The Trimming this morning. Enjoy!

Me, after just waking up this morning:


Another establishing shot


Of course, before I let all that beard go to waste, time to have some fun with various and sundry hats


Oct31=Dec25!!


I like how its hard to tell where the beard stops and the hat begins


I call this one "Crazy Ivan"


A few close-ups before trimming



aerial


From below


Ready the condemned beard!


Trimming a beard can get messy. I considered various methods to tidy up the process.


I just trimmed the cheeks for this picture, as a comparison for the untrimmed goatee and trimmed sides


Trimmed just half of the moustache for this one, again for comparison. You can see why such a moustache can make things difficult when eating, which was the only "bad" part about letting it grow out so far in the first place. You can also see flecks of trimmed beard on my face. My belated apologies for those with constitutions too weak to behold such carnage.


Where things stand as of now. The angle makes the bottom part look bigger than it is. I might go down another notch on my trimmer before all is said and done (Currently it was on "8" for this trim, and can go all the way down to "1"), but I think you'll agree there is a pretty notable difference.


So what do you think? Is it short enough to be respectable for interviews?

BEARD!

Well, in certain circumstances.

Reading some of the sleep medicine research on children's sleep issues such as difficulty putting them to bed at night, there has been considerable research done on behavior-modifying techniques to improve these issues.

One such method that has been studied and well-supported is called "Unmodified Extinction," meaning you set a bedtime for the child, put them to bed, and then IGNORE THEM ENTIRELY* for the rest of the evening, thus not reinforcing any negative attention-seeking behavior.

Apparently, this works quite well. There are other techniques (Such as "Gradual Extinction," which involves checking in on them at set time intervals but otherwise ignoring them) that also work and parents tend to like better, though they haven't been studied or supported as well as UNMODIFIED EXTINCTION!

The paper I'm reading reports: "The majority of these studies reported positive effects on daytime functioning; no adverse secondary effects were identified in any of these studies. Parental (largely maternal) well-being (including mood, overall mental health status, parenting stress, marital satisfaction) has been included as an outcome measure in 12 studies; results have been consistent in demonstrating improvements in perceived parenting efficacy, marital satisfaction, parenting stress, and maternal mood." (Morgenthaler, T. et al. SLEEP, Vol. 29, No. 10, 2006)

SCIENCE!


-D

*Unless they're actively bleeding or broken or something