Scope for the Imagination

This was today's "The Writer's Almanac: Literary and Historical Notes" ( World War I )

I find WWI absolutely fascinating. As a first year medical student, we read this awesome article that suggested that Archduke Rudolf had syphilis which caused him to go crazy, his wife to be barren, and basically was the cause of WWI. Now, that's the type of conspiracy I get behind (of course, I can't find the article any more. :( What I find utterly fascinating is how we are still feeling the affects of this "war to end all wars".

I spent my day off... updating my journal design.

Well not entirely. I did apply for my temporary license where I had to vow with my soul and with blood (okay, with just a notary public) that I was telling the truth and the whole truth that I spent 5 weeks after graduation last year lazing around and moving, instead of doing medical stuff (because heaven forbid I should ever take some personal time and not let TPTB know).

I've been wanting to revamp the journal for a long, long time. My beloved Anne layout had been used for over a year, and I just kept looking at it, longing for something better. It's nowhere near what I want (I gotta figure out how to customize Flexible Squares), but it's a new pretty background that makes me happy. I had really thought about doing a non-fandom layout, but I couldn't resist. It was so bright and cheery.

Tell me how it looks for y'all. Not too fuzzy? Doesn't take too long to load? No white areas? Color okay?

In other news, my patient survived and is doing better. So I'm sleeping better and not being haunted by dreams.

I've lately discovered that iTunes is now carrying Pod casts of several of my favorite NPR radio shows, namely "Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me" and "News from Lake Wobegon" (wish it was the entire show of A Prairie Home Companion) and StarDate that have been satisfying my inner nerd. Today, I discovered that they are also carrying another Garrison Keillor program, "The Writer's Almanac." I remember listening to this every morning as my parents got ready for school. Plus, I discovered that they have the transcripts online, so I'm very excited at the prospect of introducing some poetry into my daily life again. I've missed that.

And lastly, for at least my amusement: Conversation at work yesterday....

MED STUDENT: Yeah, so {patient} thought that Julia and I were twin sisters. I guess we could be fraternal twins.

ME: That would have been one long gestation period!

MS: I'm 24, how old are you?

ME: *pause* *pause some more* Um. I don't know. Either 27 or 28. I think I'm 27. Wait. No, I'm 27. I think. I had my birthday in November and I'm pretty sure I turned 27. Or maybe it was 28.

MS: You don't know how old you are??

Yes, it's true folks, until yesterday, I didn't know how old I am. Let it be known, that I am officially (according to the computer because I had to look it up on google before I would believe it) 28 years old. In just over a year and a half, I will be 30. Hmmm. I wonder when I'll ever start acting my age.

I am a Superhero at procrastination. I should make myself a big cape and sew a P on my chest. But I'll probably find other things to occupy my time.

Consider how I spent my day.

I woke up early to take my friend to the airport (she's flying down to Uruguay to beg the government to let her fiance get a Visa, so they can be married). Looks like a productive start to the day...

And I continue to be super productive by following it up with a 35 minute workout at the gym--something I haven't done in months (as the flab on my belly is so eloquently reminding me)! Go Me!

I have a list of errands to do. Finish Visa Applications. Work on paper that resident has been bugging me about since July. Study for big freaking boards that I take on the 20th (of December).

However, after I finish my shower, I decide that since I went to bed earlish last night, I'd check my email and LJ. Read eponine119's fantastic short stories and clicked on the link to the inspiration/challenges. There, I read a comment about how she wished that she knew a script to randomly generate names... Hey! I could do that! I used to know HTML and javascript, and since I'm really, really, really wanting to finish my webpage by some point, it would be fun to figure out how to do it. It'd only take an hour or so... I tried javascript--didn't work, too many variables. So what did I decide do? Wipe my hands of the project and say, "well, guess that's it" and move on? Oh no. I decided that since all of the help that I could find recommended using PHP, that that's what I would do.

So, it's now about 12 hours later. Granted, I haven't spent the ENTIRE time trying to figure it out (I did cook dinner. And watched Lost. And an episode of Firefly.). And it still doesn't work. There's something wrong with the code that I can't figure out and blah.

Now I have everything that I didn't do today to look forward to tomorrow! Yay!

Francis Crick's obituary

From an age where exploration in science was as exciting as a treasure hunt for gold, as a teenager, he was truly one of my inspirations. I yearned to make a big, lifetime discovery like that. I devoured "The Double Helix" and although I, as a post modern woman cringed at the flippant remarks concerning Rosalind Franklin, I couldn't help but be in awe. How the pieces of the puzzle, the hunt of the century came together so simply and so beautifully. DNA will always been almost magical to me, even after years of study and sure knowledge of what is it and how it works.

His more recent research in neurosciences still send that tingle of ... calling down my spine:

“It is essential to understand our brains in some details if we are to assess correctly our place in this vast and complicated universe we see all around us.”

Maybe, just maybe I'll answer that calling...

Although I missed the news of your passing, Sir Francis, you will be missed.