A Great Start

Last night I took my first one-on-one medical history in a simulated clinic setting. There was an actor portraying a patient with whom I interacted as though I were the doctor. I wanted to do a great job because it was my very first time in this role, but the first thing I did was knock the clock off the wall by closing the door too forcefully, leaving a pile of broken glass on the exam room floor and a no-longer-functional clock on the counter for housekeeping to replace.

I'm not a doctor yet, but I'm off to a great start.

Creepy Cloud Face (Old Spice and their Subliminal Tricks)

I have an admission to make: Apparently I am a big stinkin' sucker for subliminal advertising. Apparently if someone smiles at me as I'm considering what to buy, I will buy it (even if it is a wall of barely disguised silly cloudy cartoon faces, each staring back at me from their own respective bottle of body wash). I wouldn't have believed it if I had not experienced what I relate below:

Sometimes when I am bored or really tired I look at things with random patterns and look for shapes and faces in the randomness (maybe while looking at a pattern in some tiles, or staring at the trees or some shadows or a pile of laundry). Sometimes the things I see are pretty neat and I am surprised how undeniably recognizable the random pattern or shape seems to be.

This occurred a few weeks ago when I looked closely at my Old Spice body wash bottle, but I am convinced it is actually a subliminal message to convince indecisive male shoppers that their product is happier. It is probably "supposed" to be clouds, but you can decide for yourselves if this is my imagination.

Do you see it?

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Update: Since apparently no one is seeing the face here, I have used photoshop to make clear what I think are the eyebrows (and the shadows under them), the shadow under the nose, and the smile. You can also see what sort of looks like a faux-hawk, and a chin or tapering neck. I find it hard to think that the graphic designers who are making this product failed to notice they were drawing a face.

Does it still just look like clouds to you?

New Look

Hey everyone,

So my watch arrived in all its golden glory and, even though I have tons to do, tomorrow evening is the "Stache Bash" that our campus club, Healthcare for All, is putting on, I am taking time now to prepare and share the fun. To Janelle's dismay (actually she's been really supportive), I opted to participate. Today was my shave. I hope you enjoy the watch and the moustache photos below. We had fun taking them.

First Draft.

In my mind this one is called something like "Furiously Imagining the Future"

(Also, my watch makes its glorious golden debut).

Very cool.

We laughed and laughed at this one, which would be the runner up for my author photo when I decide to write a book.

I think this photo ended up being just serious enough and was perfectly composed. Also note the perfect placement of the timepiece.

Say hello to the new Andrew.

I Need Feedback (and a new watch)

Hey There Everyone,

So I need to buy a new watch so I have a way to measure heart rates (you know, with a second hand and all). After some deliberation, I have mostly settled on the Timex Classic due to its simplicity, reliability, and inexpensiveness. At first I thought I should get a gold-tone one because it seemed like a funny idea (like I should wear it with a corduroy blazer, helicopter glasses, and a mustache). Then I thought maybe I should be more conservative with a silver-tone version.

So now it is up to you, my trusted friends, family, and stalkers to help me weigh this issue. Would it be as funny as I imagine to get a gold-tone timex, or would the funny wear off right away, leaving me stuck with a watch I don't like? Or is there a third option I should follow? Please comment below.

So this is what it feels like to be a bleary-eyed medical student

Since about 1:30 pm this afternoon my eyes have been screaming, "Andrew! Stop doing all this schoolwork. You are sleepy. Lay down right now and just don't worry about all this schoolwork nonsense." Now I finally get a chance to do just that (ten hours later).

Brain Mush

I really enjoy school, but that doesn't mean my brain doesn't turn to mush sometimes. Yesterday I was taking a practice Histology test that involved looking at pictures and identifying what I was looking at. I thought one of the pictures was part of a hair follicle. It was a taste bud. Yeah those are pretty much the same, right?