Yeehaw!!!

I done got me a cowboy!

A Change of Luck

I have become accustomed to not having things go my way over the past year, and I never thought much of it - I didn't pity myself or lose sleep over it because there is no such thing as luck any way. I got what I deserved. But now, as of late, I have been treading in unfamiliar waters. I have experienced the other side of luck, and dear Lord, I never want to go back.

My first test of the year was in Immunology. Immunity has always been one of those vague words that I never really grasped or understood. B cells, T cells, macrophages, neutrophils...I couldn't tell one from the other, much less their function. Then out of nowhere, I get a 73/75 on the examination (the class average was something like a 63/75). WHAT?! And then to top it off, the professor ended up accepting 2 answers (ie both "b" and "d") on 3 of the questions on the test, 2 of which happened to be the ones I missed, which put me at 75/75. But oh, I am not done. He decided to completely throw out one of the questions because it was poorly written, but if you got it right in the first place, he would not punish you, so that puts me at a 75/74 on the test. How does that happen?! Unbelievable luck, I tell you!

I was trying to think back to when this change of luck began, and I believe I have placed my finger on it: somewhere on the road between Seville and Madrid. The source: my iPod. Pressing the "shuffle" tab on your iPod is always a big risk. You never know what music the melody gods will choose for you that day, especially when your library encompasses everything from Coldplay to Casting Crowns to Chris Brown to classical music. That day, every song that was played brought a smile to my face.

I have an uncanny ability to remember songs. Not necessarily by their lyrics, or the artist, but often by the context that I first heard it. Almost every song in my music library has a story to go with it, and if you are ever with me on a road trip, you won't get more than 5 minutes of silence because every new song that comes on will be followed by an anecdote. But on that warm sunny day in Spain, I just sat back, listened to the iPod do its magic, and pondered all the memories that flooded my mind. Fortunately for you, I wrote down the songs afterward so that I could share these memories with you. iPod shuffle doesn't get much better than this.

• "Me and Mrs. Jones" by Michael Buble - The spring of 2008 will go down as one of my favorite periods of time ever. That semester was my last of undergrad, I had no more college soccer obligations, and had already been accepted into medical school. Life was good, and much of that was due to Dr. Jerry Tsai, my biochemistry professor. I had the opportunity of getting to know him well over those few months, and one day in his office we were joking about my lack of a love life (not in a creepy way, I promise), and he boldly stated that I would know the person I was supposed to be with when I got serenaded with "Me and Mrs. Jones." I had never heard the song so I went home and downloaded it, and was shocked to hear it was about an affair. Nonetheless, it was a good memory, but it has not happened yet. (Don't get any ideas, Ed.)
• "Beautiful Day" by U2 - Every time I hear this song I think of Spencer Green. I blogged about him in the past, so I won't waste your time here again, but this was the song he chose to be played at his funeral when they showed the slide show of his life. Surprisingly, this is a happy memory, because of the fact that he was able to bring so much glory to the Kingdom during his short 23 years on this earth.
• "One by One" by Enya - Two words come to mind when I hear any song by Enya: Diana Davis, with whom I had the privilege of living with one year of college. That girl would blast this music while she worked on her honors thesis (about how Wal-Mart is the root of all evil...don't get me started on that). The only time Diana didn't have Enya blaring in the background was when she took the time to watch CNN and then come into my room and bash poor ole President Bush and everything Republican. While she intimidated me the first couple of months we lived together, I learned to love her fiery political side because she made me start thinking about why I believed what I did.
• "Fidelity" by Regina Spektor - This was one of the songs that was on the CD that a certain someone made for me. This was probably the most awkward memory of my life.
• "Out of My League" by Stephen Speaks - Mike McGuire let me borrow his Stephen Speaks CD my first semester at A&M, and my roommate Alex and I would lay in my bed with this song blaring on repeat, both in tears wishing that we had someone in our lives that would think this about us. Wow.
• "Indescribable" by Chris Tomlin - Sarah Foster Gray and I became huge fans of Chris Tomlin after going to the Passion Conference during our junior year. When Tomlin came to A&M a few months later, SJ was dead set on going to his concert. She bought both of our tickets and even got a t-shirt for me. I had a good time, but she seemed so much more into it than me. I was starting to think it was because she was a better Christian than me, but then a few weeks later she spilled the beans. She was absolutely convinced that Chris Tomlin was the man she was supposed to marry. She had even written him a personal letter to tell him how much he inspired her. Much to her dismay (at the time), he never responded. Luckily, Sarah did end up getting her knight in shining armor, but his name was Kent, not Chris.

So thank you, iPod, for the change in fortune. I owe ya.

Writer's block

It's been a while. Sorry about that. Between summer vacation, where I boycotted doing anything that required any effort, and the beginning of second year, where I got sucked back into the all-consuming world of immunology, I somehow managed to not blog for over a month. I promise not to leave you hanging like this again. I fear I may lose all readership if I don't continually post, but then I remember that my blog isn't that exciting in the first place, so I snap back to the reality that no one really cares that I didn't blog once during August. I digress.

When one does not post an entry for an extended period of time, one starts to feel immense pressure for the next post. It has to be a hit, a real stinger, something to make up for your extended period of absence. So when something minute and infinitesimal comes up that one might blog about in a normal situation, one pushes it to the side in hopes of coming across the the big fish later. In the mean time, the readers are left starving. Give them the little fish, I proclaim. Little fish are better than no fish!

So that is what you will be getting here. I have nothing profound to explain to the world, but if I do not get my fingers warm again by writing about something trivial and insignificant, I may just never blog again. And what a shame that would be. The world deserves better.

Here are some topics that I have considered blogging about, but did not feel the impetus to do so at the time. But quit complaining and just eat the goldfish, ok?!

• I am now working out consistently. I run a 2.5 mile trail and then do abs about 5 times a week. I started doing it because SJ kicked my butt into gear a couple of months ago, making me get out of bed at 7:15am (during summer break, no less) to go run with her. I now go with my main squeeze almost every night, but he runs 3.5 miles in the time it takes me to run 2.5. I will catch him eventually, but I am currently content with my progress.
  
• While most people gain the "Freshman 15" during their undergrad years, I had a delayed onset. The only pounds I gained during my freshman year were due to lifting weights for the first time in my life. Muscle weights more than fat, as I am sure most people know. I gained ~10 lbs of pure, lean muscle that year, and thought I'd never go back. The muscles that used to grace my legs and abdomen, have since deteriorated and turned to flab. I gained my "M1 15" last year, but I am now on track to lose it all, so don't fret.
• I went to Spain for vacation the first week of August, and did not know what to expect. I took French in high school and college, so I knew nothing about the language or culture. I never took a Spanish history class, so I was ignorant of their days of old. Going in with no expectations ended up working out wonderfully. I would have probably been disappointed if I had, because Spanish food really isn't that good, their history is way too complex and not even their own (it's either Roman or Moorish invasion, time and time again), and everything is so expensive. But with that being said, it was beautiful. Perfect weather, unbelievable architecture, and friendly people. Sevilla was the highlight for me, although Granada's Alhambra was also incredible.
• I moved into a new apartment (my 6th residence in 6 years), and the good news is: it doesn't smell!!! But the bad news: my neighbors are extremely loud. The 3 guys above me own Rock Band, and they are very devout in their practicing to be the next star of "America's Got Talent". On top of that, I swear they either do step aerobics or have a dance party every night. I never knew 3 people could make so much noise. My neighbors to the right of me are usually quiet so I don't have much to complain about with them. Although the night they moved in, they decided to christen the place, giving me a front row seat (on the other side of the wall) to the sounds of love-making. It really does sound like the movies.
• I am going to COLLEGE STATION in 3 weekends!!! I finally am making the pilgrimage back to the Holy Land, 16 months after graduating. I get to catch the soccer game vs Portland Friday night, then the football game Saturday vs. Utah State. And Sunday will be spent in Houston with Alex (and hopefully some other friends). I don't know how I am going to fit in Layne's, Mi Cocina, Antonio's, Dixie Chicken, Freebirds, Sweet Eugene's, Rudy's, and Blue Baker into the schedule when I only get 4 meals in Aggieland, but when there is a will, there is a way. I am taking Ed with me, so he will get to experience heaven on earth for the first time. Whoop!
  
• Now that I am a seasoned veteran of medical school, and I know what to expect, I am declaring my goals for this year. I want straight A's (you really would have thought I learned my lesson last year with my multiple B's). I want to get back into shape and wear those size 6 jeans I haven't worn in 2 years. I want to eat in (which means cook) more than I eat out. And lastly, I want to grow in my relationship with the Lord and be a strong leader in CMDA.
• Following suit of every other second year medical student in the country, I am going to start diagnosing myself with random diseases anytime the smallest abnormality presents. Here is my first diagnosis: Post-Traumatic Test Disease (PTTD). This is a disorder that presents after a major examination, where one experiences depression, lack of appetite, and inability to sleep, no matter what the score achieved on the test. Typically symptoms lasts 32-48 hours post-exam experience, and results with a complete lack of productivity and happiness. PTTD is slightly contagious, and unfortunately there is no vaccine to prevent onset of disease or recurrences. The only treatments are watching movies, eating simple sugars, and working out extensively.
  

Thanks for reading, and see you soon. The drought is over.