Ending September on a high note

Ordinarily I save "In other news" for the end of a post, but the World Beard and Moustache Championships just can't wait. Some pictures are worth more than a thousand words! Only 591 days and counting until the 2011 installment. http://www.worldbeardchampionships.com/

I paid a quick visit to Hanover this past weekend for a belated celebration of Ellen's birthday. In addition to getting to spend altogether too-scarce time with Ellen, I also got to see a number of undergrad and grad student friends. The temperature dipped below freezing at night, which was a clear sign that fall has arrived. On the plus side, this made for stunning foliage on the lengthy drive to and from New Hampshire.

Paramedic school continues to go well. It's hard to believe I'm more than 10% of the way done already. The program is becoming increasingly rigorous (we took three exams today and more are on the immediate horizon), but I'm loving every minute of it. In addition, I was hired by a local ambulance company last week to do part-time standby and shift work. This is a great opportunity to keep up my skills and gain some experience working alongside veteran paramedics, so I'm pretty excited. New-hire training begins on Thursday and I'm heading back to the operating room tomorrow to continue with intubation clinicals. It's going to be a good week!

Congratulations to the Yankees for clinching the AL East and to the Giants and Jets for starting the season 3-0!