Life is magic

This is one of the best commercials I've seen in a long time. Additionally, it's set to Regina Spektor's song, "Music Box," which you should all listen to in entirety. I've been watching it on repeat. It has managed to fill me with joy and wonder.

J.C. Penney. Who knew?

An officer and a gentleman

I’m watching this movie right now for the first time. I cannot comprehend, for the life of me, how I have not yet seen this movie. It’s supposed to be a classic, right? There are several reasons why I am loving this movie right now.

1) Richard Gere is brutally hot.

2) Mayo is damaged goods. Translation: he is brutally hot.

3) Mayo knows how to mis-treat and then treat a woman.

4) This movie sticks to the general theme of, “hey, you NEVER know.” I like this theme because my life has become boring and predictable.

5) Men in uniforms. I think surgeons in scrubs are hotter, but this is acceptable. Beggars can’t be choosers.

6) There is some solid romance in this movie. And when I say solid, I mean like Pretty Woman solid. That Richard Gere is one hot piece of ass.

7) Mayo the wop.

8) Love lifts us up where we belong. It’s true, I suppose.

It's time to get real about a couple things.

Today I started a required rehabilitation medicine selective at St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan. Our first day was full of lectures and we learned about muscle groups and stress/strain injuries. All very interesting stuff when you have attempted in the past to get in shape and couldn't quite understand where all the pain came from. Turns out, I have had multiple bouts of tendinitis from weight bearing exercises that were a bit over my head. I thought my muscles were just sore, which is why this is comforting information.

One very interesting fact I learned is that, after the first week of lifting weights, if you start noticing an improvement in your ability to lift, your muscles have not actually "strengthened," a.k.a. hypertrophied (this usually takes 4-6 weeks). Rather, your brain has become better at coordinating the lifting. INTERESTING!

Throughout the lecture, my thoughts went off onto multiple tangents, bringing me to my own experience with weight lifting, which was a completely futile effort. To prove my point, the following is a picture of my arm after weight lifting and drinking protein shakes for two months in preparation for my sister's wedding.


Notice the complete lack of tone in this arm. The other arm looks similar. I would have put an average sized/toned arm next to it for comparison, but I think I've sufficiently embarassed myself for today.

Another realization I've come to is that I really need to stop fooling myself and quit the gym. The thought of getting on a treadmill/elliptical/stationary bike fills my heart with dread. This is not to say that I don't want to work out. Thales and I went running and did our abdominal video yesterday, which was a perfectly enjoyable experience. I JUST HATE going to the gym. There. I said it and I feel much better.

We also tried out some different types of wheelchairs today. I was tempted to race down the hallway like in Days of Thunder but I resisted the urge. Must...remain...professional... Med school can be fun at times :o)

Wish list

I was looking through the Williams-Sonoma catalogue today, and of all the wonderful things in it, I found an item I simply CANNOT live without (but most likely will have to).

What is it, you ask? WELL! This, my friends, is an embosser. There is something about this gadget (essentially a label-maker) that makes me believe that all my problems will be solved if it was in my possession. Is it as magical as I think it is, or do I have an impulse problem?

What are its uses, you ask? Well, it may be used to:

1) Emboss your name into your books (my favorite)
2) Provide a (non-tacky) return address on your envelopes
3) Make stickers to place on objects of your choosing
4) Label your jam jars (OH MY!)

There are some other uses, but you will just have to see for yourself. I can barely restrain myself as it is.