Finally, the blog is back up again. You might not have noticed, since the index page was still up, but I had to go back in and reinstall everything before I could get the entries I made last week to show up. So yes, I’m still here, but just now had time to download and reupload everything. Cross your fingers that things continue to work.
Tonight is the writer’s meetup for the month and I feel bad. I did very little writing, and I can’t claim the MCAT as an excuse this time :blush: :rolleyes: I do have a story idea for this year’s NaNo, but it would involve me learning about religion, which I don’t know if I would feel comfortable doing. It’s not that I’m not religious; I just don’t want it shoved in my face for a month. If that’s not it though…I need a new idea.
And I shouldn’t be thinking about that anyway, since med school application should take precedence. But I’m sure you all know how good I am with precedence…Right now my problem is knitting/crocheting. I learned how to knit sometime last year, but the very first project I did (forgive the link, the gallery isn’t working correctly right now so the picture links are crucked. Just saving the place for future reference) was lost, so I wanted to try to make another hat out of the same yarn, with a matching scarf. Turns out that they don’t make that color yarn anymore, so I’m going to improvise and make a hat and scarf with fuzzy trim. Yeah. And I got a free pattern for easy crochet, so I’m trying to do that too. It’s darned hard to keep the number of chains right. In knitting you can usually clearly see where the next stitch is, but the yarn that I’m using for crochet is very bulky, which is usually good, things go faster. But in this case it obscures where the next loop is…so I’ve got a very lopsided scarf begun as I try to increase and decrease…I’ve got a shawl in the works too. Maybe if I ever finish you’ll get pictures.
Since I couldn’t post here for the past week, I put an entry on LJ asking why YOU think I should be in med school. So far the only response I got (feel free to add to this here 😉 ) was from my loverly friend Punz, who contributed the following:
hostage situation
StandardThis morning a 15-hour hostage situation ended in a house just a block away from my apartment. Apparently a guy had robbed a bank (although I’m not sure that’s really true) and was followed by police to a place near my building, where they tasered him. He got up, though, and ran into his house where his grandmother and young nephew were. He had a gun (or possibly three) and shot into the walls and in the direction of the police. They found out that the guy is mentally unstable and probably off his meds, so they didn’t think he would really be that violent and were willing to wait him out. Which they did.
Last night when I came home from anatomy lab (where we dissected a mouse, yawn) the main street to turn down to get to my place was blocked off by yellow tape and about five police cars. Luckily I know the neighborhood enough to be able to get through the maze of one-way streets that comprise it, so I was able to get to my apartment, but there were some streets blocked off that I bet had a lot of wrong-way driving going on, since the proper direction entrance was blocked. Cece and I went out on the porch and could see the SWAT team running up to the house. It was funny because they looked all serious and determined as they ran up to the house but then they just stood there in the doorway. Maybe they were waiting for the guy to let them in. The SWAT guys didn’t want us out on the porch though, they waved at us with a ‘get out of the way’ sort of gesture, so we went back inside. Didn’t want to get hit by a bullet.
That’s pretty much what happened all night, they had negotiators trying to talk him out, until this morning when I got up. I went into the kitchen to see if anything had changed, which it hadn’t, and that’s what the news stations reported. My mom wanted a picture, so I retrieved my camera from my room to take a shot, and when I finally got the house in view, I took the picture without even realizing that the police were leading someone out. So I actually got to see the police take custody of the guy. I also didn’t realize that my flash was on, so I hope they don’t come storm the place because I distracted someone with the flash 😉 It was funny because they had literally just reported that the situation was still ongoing. Sounds like everyone was ok, and that the police had encountered this person before. Hopefully this time he can get some psychiatric help.
Just thought you’d like to know about it…it wasn’t really all that exciting. I missed all the gunshots and just saw the police barricades. Though it was interesting to see the guy walk out in cuffs, he looked like a normal person. Be safe out there.
And now it’s time for a PSA: Please make sure that if you’re out driving this weekend you YIELD to pedestrians in the crosswalk, even if they are there illegally. Pedestrians, YIELD to oncoming cars and use the crosswalks. The police are going to be giving out tickets, in hopes of lowering pedestrian-car accidents. Be careful out there!
Things Other People Accomplished When They Were Your Age
StandardWas looking through my old blog entries to see if I could find my GRE score (and lo and behold, I did!) and found a link to this page. Yay for inadequacy.
At age 25:
The future mythologist Joseph Campbell decided to move to Woodstock to read the classics for five years, nine hours a day. Living on very little, he would make himself readily available as a dinner guest.
Orson Welles coscripted, directed, and starred in Citizen Kane.
By this age, Charles Chaplin had appeared in 35 films.
P. T. Barnum bought a “160-year-old” slave woman and began a career in show business.
Janis Joplin made her first recording, “Cheap Thrills,” which grossed over a million dollars within a few months.
Chris Burden created “Painting Shoot,” which involved the artist being shot in the left arm by a friend.
Charles Lindbergh became the first person to fly alone across the Atlantic, thus winning a $25,000 prize.
Fayette, N.Y. farmhand Joseph Smith founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He claimed he translated the Book of Mormon from some golden tablets revealed to him by the angel Moroni.
Bavarian painter Aloys Senefelder invented the lithograph.
French engineer Benoit Fourneyron invented the first waterwheel turbine.
Sarah Bernhardt scored her first triumph, being asked to repeat her theatrical performance before Napoleon III.
Activist Mollie Steimer became the first person to be deported from both the United States and the Soviet Union.
Physician Roger Bannister broke the four minute mile. As he collapsed unconscious into the arms of his trainer, the loudspeaker announced, “The time was three…” The uproar of the fans drowned out the rest of the announcement.
woes and whatevers
StandardSo I started on the AMCAS application last night. You know, the one that determines whether I get into med school. I don’t have my MCAT scores yet but I figured I might as well get what I can finished now before things get too crazy when I do have the scores. And as it is likely that I’ll have to take the test again, this is sort of a test run 😉
Though the application means I need to write the dreaded “why I want to go to medical school” essay. Ugh. I knew this was coming, but to actually have to delineate my reasons…that’s not easy for me. I’ve got the whole ‘helping people’ thing, which is true. I want to have a positive impact on someone’s life, perhaps many someones. I can’t see myself staying in lab research forever, though I do think I would like to continue research as a doctor. I’ll admit that there’s a nice financial incentive to it as well. You know, work a while, make a little money, then I can write to my heart’s content. Yeah. (speaking of writing, I don’t know if I’ll be able to do NaNoWriMo this year. My cheerleader is wavering. Alas.)
Then there’s the whole ‘cool’ factor of being a doctor. While I certainly don’t think my life will be anything like Grey’s Anatomy there’s bound to be more interesting stories to be had from the life of a doctor rather than the life of a research technician. I just can’t think of a slick way to say that on an application. I just think it will be very exciting, yet stressful. I think I could be a good doctor, especially with the work that I’m doing now (what with meeting patients and recruiting and all) but sometimes it doesn’t sound like me.
I know no one will answer this, but what do you think of when you consider Jen as doctor? Why do you think I might be good with an MD after my name?
a laugh (or two) for the road
StandardSo tired today. So it’s nice to laugh. I have no idea what I’m doing this weekend. Too bad I can’t be spontaneous and take a trip over to KC for the renaissance festival. Sigh.
Bad jokes courtesy of ![[info]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif "[info]"){kind=small}
faecrafter.
This pirate walks into a bar with a big ship’s wheel down his pants. The bartender says, "Excuse me, sir, but do you know you have a ship’s wheel down the front of your pants?"
And the pirate says…
Aaargh, it’s driving me nuts!!
1. Two antennas meet on a roof, fall in love and get married. The ceremony wasn’t much, but the reception was excellent.
2. Two hydrogen atoms walk into a bar. One says, "I’ve lost my electron." The other says, "Are you sure?"
The first replies, "Yes, I’m positive…"
Way to break the losing streak
StandardSo, I went to my last game at Busch Stadium (well, the original Busch Stadium, anyway) last night. I think it was my first game at Busch in about seven years. I’m sure I’ve told you how every time I actually attended a game in the past, the Cardinals (bless their souls) lost. Even when I went with my dad on Father’s Day and got to sit in the Post-Dispatch box, they lost. It was sad. And then when I stopped going to the games (because they stopped giving me free tickets for getting straight A’s…ah, the days of high school when I actually got straight A’s…) and just occasionally watched the games on tv, they lost. It got to be that I just didn’t want to pay attention. It was like if I ignored the games, then they’d wiin. Sometimes it would work, sometimes not. Though of course last year when they went to the World Series and majorly flopped against the Red Sox (wonder how that movie Fever Pitch is selling in our town, since it’s got the ignoble loss of our Cards to said Sox in it) and I was paying attention…see, they lost.
So, last night I went with my parents, they’d gotten some free tickets for the terrace (read: highest level) along the left field line. Good seats, as it turned out, because it rained a little last night during the game but since we were so high up, we were underneath the distinctive arches so we didn’t get rained on at all. Yay! I got to see two home runs (Edmonds in the 1st and Molina [Yadier? His first name is really Yadier?] in the 2nd), which was glorious, but unfortunately there were no fireworks, since I think they’re trying to save money. Oh well. The Cards were winning until the 7th inning even though they had only gotten 5 hits (vs the Pirates’ 17 or something like that) when the Pirates tied up the game. Boo! The Cards went through three pitchers that inning, and alas that Chris Carpenter didn’t get his 22nd win. He pitched well until that inning though, so go him. Finally the Cards got some hits in the 8th but no runs…so onto the 9th with a tie. We held ’em til it was our turn, then Hector Luna gets on base and steals 2nd, to be in scoring position…and then Eckstein made a nice base hit that ESPN termed a ‘bloop’ but allowed Luna to score, so yay! We won! And I was there! Yahoo! :hehe: I just hope they can keep winning.
The magic number is down to two. If the Cards win today they’ll have a tie on the division championship…if Houston loses they’ll be the champs! Go Cards! I would really love to see you be able to play the World Series at Busch one more time (and make a better showing than last year!)…
So, softball stuff and biking stuff now.
Bring them home, now
Standard
Too bad I missed the boat…the tour was here for Labor Day weekend. Amazing the amount of things that go on when I can’t get to them…there was the Japanese Festival at the Botanical Gardens (with real sumo wrestlers!) and the Greek festival, which I made it to for dinner tonight with Kate, yay! But lots of other things were going on and I was being nice and helped my mother with the Queeny Art show (which Bernard showed up at! Yay for collegues coming to support the arts). I will admit an ulterior motive or two in that they fed me and some profits went to my newly-acquired digital camera (double yay!) and I actually http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif*like* my parents, so I suppose it wasn’t a bad deal.
Now I have to go take care of the clothes that weren’t dry *at all* from the longest spin in the dryer and take a peek at my anatomy/physiology book. Until the next time!
(PS: Michael Moore is at it again, of course. I still can’t believe that the country re-elected Bush. I’m proud of the St. Louis island of blue in the sea of Missouri red. Sigh. No more politics tonight! Tired and wishing the holiday was a day longer…)
All the pretty pictures
Standard…that will surely show up now that I have a digital camera. Yay for my mother, who is very nice and said she would get me one for my birthday. Alas, neither of us could decide on which one to get before my birthday, and there were no sales, and there was no(t alot of) money. So we waited until after my birthday, until today, Labor Day (thank goodness there is a holiday after the Queeny Park show!) when there was in fact a sale of sorts and a helpful salesperson named William at Sears. I did end up paying the difference between a 2 year and a 3 year warranty, but it will probably be worth it with all the things that I hear can go wrong with said cameras.
We went to the mall near my parents’ house, since my mother wanted to drop off some film (at another place, which was unfortunately closed, being a holiday) and we had tried Best Buy &c, so we figured why not give it a try. There was a nice selection, and the aforementioned William actually owned the camera that’s now sitting beside me on my bed *pets* so that turned out to be a good thing. Hopefully he wasn’t full of bs and being a slimy salesman like some of them are. There was a whole weird thing with checking out and when we finally did they didn’t have any in stock, so we had to drive to another mall to get one that was. Well, we didn’t really have to, but I wanted it today, so we did. Eventually I will install the software and have lots of pictures to show you all. Eventually.
But I promised myself I would look at my A&P book tonight, so this is me signing off…
Claire’s america
StandardFrom Elizabethtown Official Movie Site – Directed by Cameron Crowe, recently updated with a cute little journal mockup courtesy of everyone’s favorite flight attendant, Claire. You really should read it. I want someone to make a cool map for me like she does for Drew…
Lala Salama Safari Njema-Inshallah. Tutazumguza Kesho. Ndege Yako. A Swahili benediction meaning, “Sleep well. Travel Safely – God Willing. We’ll speak tomorrow.” I just thought it was cute.
I really hope they release the score to this movie. The site was just updated to include short samples of the songs picked for the soundtrack, but the score is sweet and simple and beautiful, and I want it.
Another good quote from the journal: “Our brightest blazes are often kindled by unexpected sparks.” Samuel Johnson. Also learned that gin is useful for repelling mosquitos. Who knew? It disinfects and drives the nasties away!
Guess it’s time for lunch.
Happy September
StandardAOL News – Male Chromosome’s Demise Exaggerated, Study Says
I can’t believe it’s a new month already. Geez. My birthday is already last week. Sigh. Time marches ever on, tempus fugit, etc, etc.
So I suppose you could call me an adult now, being that I’m 25 and I signed up for a retirement plan at work and I get to pay my car insurance all by myself and I have renter’s insurance. I’m really beginning to hate insurance, because I’m the sort of person who would never ever need it until it was gone. Here’s hoping that never happens.
I really do need to find another way to make money, though. You people aren’t buying anything from my affiliate links 😉 Hopefully once this Fall Festival of Art is over, we might have enough for a digital camera and that will make it substantially easier to put things online. Keep an eye out for ebay auctions from us!
I just got an email from my softball coach informing us that only one of the three games that were rained out will be made up. One game that we only got to play three innings (but scored 20+ runs to the other team’s 3) apparently counts. Poor other team. The one game we do get to make up will be after the tournament on the 10th. Go fig. Seems sort of like a moot point after the tournament, eh? I guess if we go out in the second round like I’m a little worried we might (since we’re playing a team that’s beaten us every single time we’ve played them, including the games last year) it gives us another chance to play. As long as it’s still light out, I guess. Whatever. BBQ tonight!