The year in pictures

With 2010 nearly in the books, it's safe to say that this has been a banner year. Between graduating first in my class in paramedic school to marrying the woman of my dreams, I will remember 2010 fondly for the rest of my life. Without further ado, the year in pictures.

Niagara Falls (American side), Valentine's Day weekend












Niagara Falls (Canadian side), July




















August












Wedding! September





















































Our first Christmas
























Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

"In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'

"Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.'

"When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.'

"So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told." (Luke 2:1-20)

Christmas Eve eve

December 23 marks Christmas Eve eve (for those well versed in the Seinfeld universe, Festivus is celebrated today too). This means that Christmas, which is one of my favorite holidays, is almost here. The festivities kick off with a Christmas Eve service put on by our church tomorrow evening; Ellen will again be providing musical accompaniment on the harp. After that is Christmas Day itself, which needs no elaboration, and on Boxing Day and the day after we're planning to make a quick trip to visit friends and relatives in New York and New England. All in all it should be a terrific weekend.

I was pleased to read about the passage of the "New START" treaty this week. As I've written before, nuclear nonproliferation was an issue championed by my uncle Norman (who founded the Dartmouth Conferences on Peace Process and was once summoned to Princeton by Albert Einstein to discuss nuclear disarmament). It's gratifying to see that his work is being carried on. And while politics is an unpredictable business, I'm glad that the ratification of the treaty was not derailed by smaller concerns.

Speaking of Dartmouth, The Waterman Institute is about to launch its second slate of courses next month. In addition to addressing topics like "The Free Society" and "History of Doctrine," Waterman is also debuting its student internship program. Hannah Thomas '12 and Fulbright Scholar Hans-Peter Ritzer are the inaugural interns. It's not looking like Waterman's course schedule and my work schedule will reconcile themselves this time around, but I wish them the best for a successful, God-centered term. I will definitely try to attend one of their offerings as soon as I am able! For more information about Waterman or any of their programs, please visit their official website (linked above).

In other news, Knicks backup forward Shawne Williams was credited with the following quotation following last night's 112-98 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder: "I feel like when I play hard, lucky things happen. I believe the basketball gods, they reward hustle plays." Sounds an awful lot like Samuel Goldwyn's famous saying, "The harder I work, the luckier I get." I wonder if Williams is a movie fan? Goldwyn, after all, is the "G" of MGM movie studio fame.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

In our living room, anyway. Ellen and I cut down, named and decorated our Christmas tree on Saturday, to go along with our holiday window dressings. We found a cut-your-own tree farm a mile or so outside town, whereupon we trudged off into the dense copse of Christmas trees armed only with a hand saw and a hazy idea of the relevant dimensions of our apartment (doorway width, ceiling height, etc.). As it turned out, not only did we find a tree that fit perfectly, but a package arrived this morning from Ellen's mother containing a handful of ornaments. Talk about good timing!

We had a taste of the dark side of New Hampshire winters yesterday--literally--as there was a power outage in Enfield and some neighboring towns. No word on what caused the outage, but at least power was restored relatively quickly. Between flashlights, headlamps and candles, we were able to carry about our business with minimal disruption. Unfortunately, while our apartment is heated by propane, the heater itself runs on electricity. By the time the power was restored some two and a half hours later, the temperature inside had dropped six degrees. Dinner by candlelight was a definite silver lining to the whole episode, though.

Updating a previous item, I'm told that Lebanon, N.H. has restructured its budget so that the second fire station can remain open year-round. I haven't been able to confirm this information, but if it's accurate, I'll be pleased. Fire and EMS coverage are not things you want to opt not to pay for (or accept severe delays in delivery of service, as would likely have been the case here). Just ask Glenn Ordick.

In other news, tomorrow marks the winter solstice, which marks the official end of autumn and start of winter. That, in turn, means summer is only two seasons away. It's about time.

San Francisco wrap-up

The final two days of our San Francisco trip were an enjoyable mix of business and pleasure. Business came in the form of the start of Ellen's conference (she's actually still in San Francisco, since the conference runs through the week), which I got to witness from the lobby of the hosting convention center. I was even issued a guest badge, although this didn't entitle me to attend any of the events. Not that I didn't think about it, but seeing as they posted burly security guards at the entrance to discourage this very thing, I decided to exercise the greater part of valor.

Simply sitting in the lobby and listening to the conversations swirling around me was quite an education. Who knew there were competing schools of geomorphological analysis? Evidently there are. With some difficulty, I managed to quell the urge to interject myself into conversations about which I knew less than nothing. "You integrated the MRC variable? Why on earth did you do that? Everybody knows that M ... R ... Q is the only variable worth integrating."

It was fun to see Ellen in her professional element, too. She seemed completely at home, and I was quite impressed at how naturally she navigated her way through the waters of cutting-edge physics. Impressed, but not surprised. And after she was finished for the day, she transitioned from scientist to tourist without missing a beat. We walked up and down the Embarcadero in the afternoon and visited Union Square after nightfall, both of which were a lot of fun. I've never seen palm trees with Christmas lights before, though.

Now I'm back in New Hampshire. As stupendous a trip as it was, it's nice to be home.

San Francisco, Part II

Day two of our San Francisco expedition saw us exploring Fisherman's Wharf and the surrounding areas. Ghirardelli Square, home to the first Ghirardelli Chocolate store (technically the third, but the first two--both in San Francisco--were destroyed by fire and earthquake, respectively). They also had a section devoted to the production of chocolate, which was fascinating to see. Ellen especially enjoyed that part. There was also an ice cream shop attached to the chocolate store/factory, which was expectedly scrumptious.

The centerpiece of our sightseeing was a tour of Alcatraz Island. Alcatraz has served a variety of purposes over the years--fort and prison are but two--and the National Park Service guides did an excellent job of outlining the island's history. It is a cold, forbidding place, and I can't imagine what it would have been like to live or work there for any extended period of time (guards and their families were quartered on the island, partly to ease the logistical burden of covering three eight-hour shifts each day on an island but primarily so that reinforcements would be readily at hand should they ever be required).

Having seen the 1996 Hollywood action film The Rock at least a dozen times, I was excited to see how the real place compared to the movie set. Parts of the movie were filmed on the island, which remained open to visitors during production, but certain liberties were taken to accommodate the needs of the story. The shower room, for example, looks nothing like its Hollywood depiction (for starters, there is no second level).

While it may not have had the glamor of a big-budget Hollywood production, Alcatraz was not without its own "action sequences." You can still see the pockmarks on the floor from where Marines dropped grenades on holed-up prisoners during the three-day "Battle of Alcatraz" in 1946, or the cells that held the only three men to ever escape from Alcatraz without being recovered (they are officially presumed drowned in San Francisco Bay, but no bodies have ever been recovered).

When we returned to the mainland, Ellen took me to Pier 39, where we were able to see California sea lions sunning themselves on the dock. I've seen sea lions before, but only in aquariums, so it was exciting to see them up close in the wild. I'm told that in the warmer months--I use the term relatively, as yesterday's high was in the mid-60s--the sea lions and seals are omnipresent around the pier, not to mention quite loud.

San Francisco, Part I

Ellen and I embarked on a cross-country trip to San Francisco on Friday, combining sight-seeing and in-law visiting with Ellen's attendance and poster presentation at the American Geophysical Union's Fall Meeting. The trip got off to a less than auspicious start when one of our traveling party (hint: It wasn't Ellen) missed the bus to Boston. We overcame this temporary setback by continuing on to Logan Airport by car, and we made the flight with plenty of time to spare.

It was not quite all smooth sailing from there, though. Upon our arrival in San Francisco, we discovered that Ellen's luggage never left Minneapolis. We filed a claim with the Delta lost-luggage agent (is it a bad sign that Delta employs full-time staff for this purpose?) and continued on to our hotel, which is the only place I've ever stayed where the hotel office closes overnight. And fortunately the luggage was waiting for us when we woke up the next day.

In another first, our electronic keys stopped working mid-stay. We would insert them into the lock but nothing would happen. The front desk issued us two new keys, but these didn't work either. Finally the hotel troubleshooter determined that the electronic lock itself had run out of batteries. After replacing the necessary parts, everything was as good as new. It makes sense that they would be battery-powered, but I admit I never thought about how those locks worked. I just took for granted that they would. It's a good thing we made this discovery during the afternoon and not after the front desk closed!

Saturday morning was spent sightseeing along the marina; we visited Crissy Field, Fort Mason and the Exploratorium and laid eyes on Alcatraz Island, the Golden Gate Bridge and two yacht clubs. In the afternoon we met up with Ellen's father and stepmother--both of whom grew up in the Bay Area--and took a driving tour of the city, including a trip down Lombard Street, which makes the highly credible claim that it's the most crooked street in the world. We also walked out halfway across the Golden Gate Bridge, whose shroud of fog lifted just in time for us to enjoy a marvelous view of the bay. The evening was capped off sourdough bread and seafood for dinner. Mmmmmm.

In the next installment, our trip to Alcatraz, wild sea lions and a San Francisco chocolate factory.

And the answer to last week's brainteaser: The wise man told the brothers to switch camels.

Thirty years later

Yesterday was the thirtieth anniversary of the assassination of John Lennon by Mark David Chapman (I wonder what differentiates a murder from an assassination? The profile and/or celebrity of the victim?). One of the most celebrated, revered and controversial figures in entertainment, Lennon's impact and influence continues to reverberate through the music world and society at large. Either a passionate crusader or a modern-day Quixote, depending on your point of view, Lennon never promoted a cause halfheartedly. But his most enduring legacy is undoubtedly his music. Surely he will be remembered for his political activism as well, but Lennon was neither the first nor the last to campaign for world peace. Yet there will forever be only four Beatles, and there will never be another John Lennon.

The United States enjoyed a good day at the chessboard on Wednesday, with International Master Anna Zatonskih advancing to the round of sixteen at the Women's World Chess Championship. She will face number-one seeded Humpy Koneru of India. Over in England, top-ranked American chessplayer Hikaru Nakamura drew his first-round game of the London Chess Classic against reigning World Champion Viswanathan Anand, also of India. Tomorrow is a day off for Zatonskih while Nakamura again takes the Black pieces, this time against former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik.

In other news, I came across the following brainteaser on Brainden.com the other day but couldn't manage to figure it out. Think you know the answer? Leave a comment. Cheating is strongly discouraged.

"A desert king tells his two sons to race their camels to a distant city to see who will inherit his fortune. The one whose camel is slower wins. After wandering aimlessly for days, the brothers ask a wise man for guidance. Upon receiving the advice, they jump on the camels and race to the city as fast as they can. What did the wise man say to them?"

Pearl Harbor

Today is the sixty-ninth anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor: "A date which will live in infamy," according to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's radio address the following day. I had the opportunity to go to Pearl Harbor in the summer of 2000; it was a moving experience. The wreckage of the USS Arizona, a battleship whose sinking claimed the lives of 1,177 sailors, was especially poignant to see. I'd like to go back and visit again someday; if my travels ever return me to Hawaii, I will make a point of doing so.

Closer to home, my thoughts and prayers go out to the two Calex Ambulance employees who were injured when their ambulance went off a bridge in Bradford, Vermont. They were returning from a call when the driver hit a patch of ice and lost control of the vehicle. Both men are in stable condition and no bystanders were injured. Talk about a close call.

Moving on to a more upbeat topic, the Women's World Chess Championship is currently underway in Hatay, Turkey. The United States is represented by two players, International Master Anna Zatonskih and Women's Grandmaster Camilla Baginskaite, although WGM Baginskaite was eliminated in the first round. IM Zatonskih is on a roll, however, breezing through her first round match and defeating GM Marie Sebag of France in the first game of their second-round match today. Keep up the good work!

In other news, James Franco and Anne Hathaway have been selected to host this year's Academy Awards. Who cares?

Snow!

While I'm quick to single out winter as my least favorite season, I readily admit that December has a lot going for it (namely Christmas and often the first serious snowfall). And so I feel no shame reporting the glee I felt when I woke up to a steady snowfall this morning. Seeing as we're a week into December and snow is falling, I consider the Christmas season officially underway. Ellen and I have some Christmas tree and light shopping to do in the next couple weeks, which will be a lot of fun to do together.

I have opened December in New Hampshire for five of the past six years now, but this is the first time that the month was not ushered in by college finals. Definitely a change for the better. I am nevertheless reminded of one of my favorite seasonal videos, which sustained (distracted) me through many a late night preparing for final exams.



In other news, I read this morning about a proposed Noah's Ark-themed amusement park in Kentucky. No word yet on whether development will proceed ahead of possible constitutional challenges, nor on whether there will be any roller-coasters at the park.

On the chopping block

The Lebanon, New Hampshire City Council appears to be moving ahead with a budget that will leave one of two city fire stations unmanned for approximately one hundred days per year. As is the case in many New Hampshire cities, the Lebanon Fire Department provides both fire and EMS services to residents and visitors. As reported in The Valley News on Wednesday, Fire Chief Chris Christopolous made his case against the proposed budget at a City Council meeting last week, but only one council member supported sparing the fire department of cuts altogether.

To be fair, LFD stands to receive approximately a two percent raise over last year's budget. The chief contends, however, that this money will go almost exclusively to salaries, benefits and retirement, leaving the department little to cover the rise in training, maintenance and other costs. For the City Council's part, they are reluctant to raise taxes on what they perceive as an overburdened population already. This objection comes not only in and of itself, but also because they fear raising taxes to support the fire department will force them to similarly support other public service institutions like the police department and library.

I do not work for LFD and I don't live in their district, so I don't have a direct stake in the outcome of the budget question. All the same, it is disheartening to see a population that is unwilling to support such an essential component of the public's safety and peace of mind. That said, I'm a big believer in "You get what you pay for." If the citizens are willing to abide the possibility of response times more than doubling (to some residential areas) or even increasing sixfold in some cases (such as to the elementary school), then so be it. I hope I'm wrong, but I think they're making a big mistake.

Puzzling words

Dartmouth College President Jim Yong Kim and Acting Dean of the College Sylvia Spears gave a press conference on Tuesday prior to a presentation about new alcohol and sexual assault reduction initiatives the administration is planning to implement. At this press conference, as reported in The Dartmouth, President Kim had critical words for the way the local police handle cases involving intoxicated students. "I think the current approach of the Hanover Police Department is putting our students in danger every single night," he is quoted as saying.

Huh? The police department is not forcing underage students to drink illegally. It's certainly not providing alcohol to minors. What it is doing is enforcing New Hampshire state law. I honestly don't see how that imperils undergrads. Some students loudly insist that they will refrain from calling for help for a classmate in need out of fear of the legal repercussions for the incapacitated student. If you don't call for medical assistance for a classmate whose life may be in danger to avoid a citation for underage drinking--a violation that in New Hampshire carries no more venom than a speeding ticket--then you are an idiot.

The responsibility for choosing to break the law--and for facing the consequences of that choice, should there be any--rests solely on the shoulders of the students who make those choices. When it comes to illegal consumption of alcohol, the only thing putting Dartmouth students in danger is those selfsame Dartmouth students. I was surprised and disappointed to see President Kim add his voice to the chorus of those who would shirk this responsibility.

Erratum: In my most recent post I gave the Dartmouth football team's 2010 Ivy League record as 4-3. This was, unfortunately, wishful thinking on my part. Their Ivy record was actually 3-4.

A rough weekend at the movies

Hollywood lost two icons this past weekend. Canadian actor Leslie Nielsen passed away on Sunday from complications of pneumonia while director Irvin Kershner died on Saturday from complications of cancer. Nielsen, who spent much of his career as a dramatic actor, will be best remembered for his comedic roles in movies like Airplane! and The Naked Gun. Kershner, on the other hand, may be best known as the director of The Empire Strikes Back, the second installment in the Star Wars series. He also directed Sean Connery as James Bond in Never Say Never Again.

The I-can't-believe-they-got-a-grant-to-study-this files are open yet again, this time coughing up a study by former Cornell University psychology professor Daryl Bern. According to an article in The Cornell Sun, Professor Bern has recently concluded a study that shows viewing erotic images may increase the ability of Cornell students to predict the future. Somehow I don't think I need erotic images to help me predict the psychology community's response.

Elsewhere in the Ivy League, the Dartmouth men's football team concluded the 2010 season with a resounding 31-0 win over basement-dwelling Princeton. This gives the Big Green a 6-4 overall record (4-3 Ivy). A solid performance after years of mediocrity, or worse. The future is looking up! And speaking of Dartmouth, my favorite Dartmouth alumna to whom I'm not married (that is, historian, National Book Award winner and MacArthur "Genius Grant" recipient Annette Gordon-Reed '81) was recently named a Trustee of the College.

In other news, the New England Nor'Easters downed the Miami Sharks in the finals of the U.S. Chess League on November 20. Not a bad first season for the expansion Nor'Easters. Congratulations!

On abdominal pain

For EMS personnel, abdominal pain calls are notoriously difficult. As an emergency physician in Buffalo once said, "The problem with abdominal pain is it can be so many different things." In a nutshell, this sums up the dilemma faced by EMS. Without the advanced diagnostic tools and imaging technology available in the hospital setting, it is extremely challenging to arrive at an accurate field impression/differential diagnosis. There are definitely clues that can point you in one direction or another, and a skilled provider performing a detailed assessment can make headway, but sometimes you just don't have the resources to pin it down.

This vagueness plays out in the treatment options available to providers. The only mention of abdominal pain in the 2009 edition of New Hampshire's patient care protocols is to instruct paramedics to withhold Nitronox, a 50% nitrous oxide-oxygen gas mixture used for pain relief, from any patient with this complaint. This is not to be cruel; if the patient turns out to have a bowel obstruction, the gas can get trapped in the folds of the obstructed bowel and potentially cause a rupture. In many cases, all you can do is assess the patient to the best of your ability, provide supportive care and rapidly transport him to the closest appropriate facility (other options for pain control exist as well).

The Health section of yesterday's New York Times had a fascinating article about abdominal pain in pediatric patients. The author, physician Perri Klass, related how as a resident she and her colleagues used to "smirk" at cases of functional abdominal pain. Functional abdominal pain, which is a term previously unfamiliar to me, is evidently a diagnosis arrived at when nothing else seems to fit. Children with persistent stomachaches that cannot be explained by the presence of any disorder are often said to have this condition.

The article discussed how functional abdominal pain had previously been a throw-away diagnosis, or as Dr. Klass puts it, "A code for a troublesome patient, dubious symptoms or an anxious family." Now, though, clinicians are recognizing it as a legitimate complaint that requires serious attention and treatment.

As difficult as abdominal pain calls can be, it's nice to know that sometimes the doctors get stumped too.

Testing

I took my National Registry practical exam on Sunday in Concord, NH. The exam, which was held in a dormitory at the New Hampshire Fire Academy, consisted of eleven stations ranging from intravenous and intraosseous access and drug therapy to patient assessment, advanced airway management and cardiology. There were also two rounds of oral boards. For such a large-scale production--eighty people showed up to either retest individual stations or take the entire thing--the logistics ran like clockwork. It took me just over four hours from start to finish, and there was a minimum of downtime between stations.

The National Registry exam was different from the New York State paramedic practical exam in subtle but significant ways. Most obvious was the number and nature of the stations; both exams featured static and dynamic cardiology, IV access and bolus medications, adult airway management, patient assessment and one randomly selected "basic life support" skill. But where New York also tested IV med administration via drip and a second random BLS skill, the National Registry instead tested dual-lumen airway placement, pediatric airway management, pediatric intraosseous access and the oral boards.

More subtle were the differences when the stations overlapped between the two exams. A number of these were evident from examining the skills sheets on the National Registry website, but I also attended a "prep class" taught by an area instructor. She has been an evaluator for the National Registry for nearly twenty three years, and she has their permission to run this class the night before the exam outlining common pitfalls in the various stations. No actual exam scenarios are discussed, but she covers many of the ways in which this exam may vary from individual states' tests. It was more than worth the time and money!

Unfortunately, according to the test administrator's unofficial results, I did not pass my static cardiology station. I will have to retest that station another time (hopefully next month). It's a little disappointing, to say the least, but I'm glad to have most of the exam behind me. And since I have already passed the National Registry written exam, this is the last remaining hurdle to transferring my certification from New York to New Hampshire and Vermont.

Sunday was also our church's annual Thanksgiving Dinner, held in the town's community center. It was a great time of feasting, fellowship and, of course, thanksgiving. A lot of people spent a lot of time and energy making it the tremendous success that it was, and I know their efforts are deeply appreciated by all. (And to whoever brought the stuffing ... two enthusiastic thumbs up!)

In memoriam

Jeffrey A. Klein of Chappaqua, New York, my longtime friend, classmate and teammate, passed away last week at the age of twenty three. Jeff and I met in first grade when his father coached our tee-ball team, and we remained friends through high school, playing together on the basketball team for three years. Jeff was one of the most cheerful people I've ever known, and on and off the court he was the guy you could always depend on to pick you up when you were down. We're all going to miss you, man.

World Champion(s)

While much of the country was focused on Red vs. Blue during last week's midterm congressional election, a select group of Americans donned the Red, White and Blue and brought home gold (or silver) at the World Youth Chess Championships and World Senior Chess Championships. Steven Zierk of California won clear first place in the Under 18 section, earning him the World U18 Champion title, the International Master title and a Grandmaster norm (three norms and a minimum rating of 2500 are required to achieve the title). In the U12 section, Kayden Troff of Utah took home the silver medal, as did Jeffrey Xiong of Texas in the U10 section.

Meanwhile, over in Greece, Grandmaster Larry Kaufman of Maryland tied for first place in the World Senior Championship. He took fourth place on tiebreaks, which meant he did not receive a medal, but it is nevertheless an impressive performance from the man who achieved the Grandmaster title by winning the World Senior back in 2008! Hearty congratulations to Zierk, Troff, Xiong, Kaufman and all the players who represented the United States with class and aplomb.

On the gridiron, the Dartmouth football team (5-3, 2-3 Ivy) put up a solid second-half showing to down the Cornell Big Red 28-10 on Saturday. With Brown (4-4, 3-2 Ivy) next week and Princeton (1-7, 0-5 Ivy) the week after, Dartmouth is in great position to make a strong finish to the season and secure a winning Ivy record. Go Big Green!

In other news, I went in for my seasonal flu shot today. The nurse asked me which arm I preferred for the injection, and I said my left, since it's my non-dominant arm. Then she saw my shirt, which prominently featured the New York Yankees' logo, and deadpanned, "Oh, you're a Yankees fan? Let me see your right arm ..."

A case of bad taste

According to a report published on cnn.com, an alternate juror in the Connecticut murder trial of Steven Hayes sent a note to the court marshal at the end of the court session last Friday that, "Asked him to meet her Sunday at a restaurant." The trial is now in the sentencing phase, with the jurors considering whether or not to sentence Mr. Hayes to death for the murder of Hayley Petit, her sister and her mother. (Hayley was admitted to Dartmouth early-decision and would have been a member of the Class of 2011.)

Judge Jon Blue denied a motion by Mr. Hayes's attorneys to dismiss the juror, though he did chastise her, calling her date request a, "G------ dumb thing to do." I couldn't agree more, Judge. Regardless of whether or not it is appropriate for an alternate juror to date a court marshal during a trial, this woman's choice of timing and venue is abysmal. I would stop short of saying that this lapse in judgment automatically disqualifies her to serve in the trial if called upon, but one wonders about her suitability to weigh a matter of life and death if this is how seriously she is taking her current role.

Everybody makes mistakes, and no one exercises perfect judgment all the time. But how could you possibly think that the sentencing phase of a murder trial, with capital punishment on the table, was an appropriate time to ask out a court official? Or that enlisting another juror to pass a note to said official was the best way to go about it? At least she didn't put the date request on Twitter.

Also, the article did not mention whether or not the marshal showed up at the restaurant. I suspect he did not.

The Einstellung effect

I was overjoyed by the arrival in our mailbox of the November issue of Chess Life, the U.S. Chess Federation's monthly publication. I look forward each month to reading its chess news and tournament coverage, columnists and selections of games and problems. This month, I was particularly intrigued by Grandmaster Andy Soltis's column about the "Einstellung Effect." (The full text of the article is available at www.uschess.org, but I believe you have to be a USCF member to access it.)

Grandmaster Soltis normally writes about topics of interest in the chess world, but these are often related to positions that have occurred in various tournaments or other venues. This month, his topic is, "Why do the best players play second-best moves?" To summarize his two-page column, researchers have conducted studies in which chessplayers of varying strengths were shown two similar positions and asked to find the quickest win. The first position had a well-known checkmate-in-five combination while the second position, which had identically placed pieces save one, did not (due to the one relocated piece now covering the checkmate square).

The researchers found that strong players tended to immediately identify the mate-in-five but took a while longer to find a quicker but less well-known route to victory. Hence, the Einstellung effect, which according to Soltis, "Occurs when you try to solve a problem and are lured into a familiar but second-best approach." One study also found that there was no significant difference in the amount of time it took Class A players (shown only the second position) and International Masters (shown only the first position) to find the fastest win, which was the same combination in both cases. This is because the IMs were distracted by the more familiar yet longer combination. Soltis concludes, "They did no better than the A players when facing more or less the same position. The IMs' superior strength had been wiped out by the Einstellung effect."

This is a fascinating finding for anyone interested in psychology; the Einstellung effect is not confined to chess praxis but can be applied to mathematics and any number of other disciplines. I must question, however, GM Soltis's presentation of the entire question. It is true that the Einstellung effect may inhibit strong players from finding the fastest win, but what about finding a win the fastest? If I can find a mate-in-five instantly but have to spend a couple minutes finding a mate-in-three, is that really an efficient use of my time and energy? I doubt it.

All the same, kudos to GM Soltis and researchers Merim Bilalic, Peter McLeod and Fernand Gobet for giving me something to ponder on this rainy Thursday!

All Saints' Day

Martin Luther's "95 Theses" may be the most famous document ever posted on Halloween (in 1517), but the best headline I've seen in 2010 belongs to Saturday's edition of The New York Times. "World Series? Who Cares. Chess League Playoffs Are On," declared the legend atop Dylan Loeb McClain's weekly (chess) column. I enthusiastically echo and endorse this sentiment. And forget Monday Night Football: Tonight, my attention will be glued to the New England Nor'easters - New York Knights playoff match.

Yesterday was Halloween here in the Northeast (and everywhere else, I gather). Listening to the morning radio shows during the week, I learned that there were designated times for trick-or-treating. These times, which varied from one town to the next, ranged from late afternoon to early evening. It makes perfect sense to highlight certain hours of the day as "trick or treater friendly," for the purposes of controlling traffic, but I wonder what would happen to those nabbed asking for candy past approved hours?

The Dartmouth Homecoming was a mixed bag as far as sporting events go. There was one of the most impressive student and alumni turnouts I've ever seen for a Dartmouth football game ... if only the team had shown up too. The final score of Harvard 30, Dartmouth 14 reflected the occasionally stellar but mostly lackluster play by the Big Green. On the plus side, the men's and women's soccer teams downed their Harvard counterparts by scores of 2-1 and 3-2, respectively. The field hockey team also emerged on the winning end of a 1-0 decision against the Crimson.

Election Day is tomorrow. Make sure to vote!

A prayer for Dartmouth College

In honor of Dartmouth's Homecoming, I share Rev. Dr. Lucias Waterman's (1851-1923) prayer for Dartmouth College.

"O Lord God Almighty, well-spring of wisdom, master of power, guide of all growth, giver of all gain. We make our prayer to thee, this day, for Dartmouth College. Earnestly entreating thy favour for its people. For its work, and for all its life. Let thy hand be upon its officers of administration to make them strong and wise, and let thy word make known to them the hiding-place of power. Give to its teachers the gift of teaching, and make them to be men right-minded and high-hearted. Give to its students the spirit of vision, and fill them with a just ambition to be strong and well-furnished, and to have understanding of the times in which they live. Save the men of Dartmouth from the allurements of self-indulgence, from the assaults of evil foes, from pride of success, from false ambitions, from hardness, from shallowness, from laziness, from heedlessness, from carelessness of opportunity, and from ingratitude for sacrifices out of which their opportunity has grown. Make, we beseech thee, this society of scholars to be a fountain of true knowledge, a temple of sacred service, a fortress for the defense of things just and right, and fill the Dartmouth spirit with thy spirit, to make it a name and a praise that shall not fail, but stand before thee forever. We ask in the name in which alone is salvation, even through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen."

'Tis the season

Maybe I just paid closer attention when I was a child, but Halloween doesn't seem to be receiving much attention this year. Stores have forsaken Halloween accoutrement in favor of early Christmas displays. The onslaught of Christmas carols on the radio has not yet begun, but it's coming. I have nothing against Christmas carols (quite the opposite, in fact), but mid-November is just too soon to start playing them 24/7. Anything that causes Christmas carol burnout long before Christmas Day needs to be rethought.

Speaking of new seasons, the NBA season began Tuesday night with the much-anticipated debut of LeBron James and Chris Bosh, the Miami Heat's prize free-agent acquisitions. Alongside Dwayne Wade, the three stars have been the focus of a hurricane of media attention. Their performance Tuesday, an 88-80 loss to the reigning Eastern Conference Champion Boston Celtics, showed that there is still some room for growth. And my Knicks defeated the Toronto Raptors 98-93 last night, giving them a winning record for the first time since November 22, 2008. Progress!

The U.S. Chess League postseason begins on Monday with the Eastern Division playoffs. New England will take on New York while Boston squares off against Baltimore, with the first-named team having draw odds in both cases. The action will continue on Wednesday when Arizona and Chicago are paired with Seattle and Miami, respectively. (Why is Miami in the Western Division? I do not know.)

In other news, Dartmouth's Homecoming is this weekend. Let me know if you're going to be in the area!

New York on the brink

With thirteen days remaining until Election Day, two New York races are coming down to the wire ... the American League Championship Series and the stretch run of the U.S. Chess League. (This is not to say that the current political campaigns are unimportant, merely that they will be resolved later in time than the above contests.) The Yankees find themselves in a 3-1 hole against the Texas Rangers while the New York Knights have lost three of their last four matches, dropping them into a tie for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Division. With their backs against the wall, here's hoping they step it up!

Speaking of stepping it up, Dartmouth football defeated Holy Cross 27-19 on Saturday to move to 3-2 on the season (0-2 Ivy League). Their two losses, to Penn and Yale, were both by the slimmest of margins, including a 35-28 overtime defeat at Penn. Not a bad start to a rebuilding year (the memory of 2008's 0-10 campaign is still a fresh memory). This weekend sees the Big Green travel to Columbia to seek their first Ivy win of 2010 against the Lions (3-2, 1-1 Ivy).

The chess Olympiad may have concluded, but the World Youth Championship has just gotten underway in Halkidiki, Greece. The United States sent a forty-player delegation and is represented in every age group on both the boys' and girls' side, save boys U16. Good luck to all the participants! And staying in the sporting world, The New York Times recently reported on a new trend in international sport: women's sumo. Who knew?

The dangers of entitlement

Last Wednesday, Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity was charged with one count of providing alcohol to a minor. Under New Hampshire law, this is a felony charge and carries with it a maximum fine of $100,000 if the fraternity (a corporation in the eyes of the state) is convicted. This prompted a predictable yet disappointing outcry from the student body.

Some background: Dartmouth has something known as the "Good Samaritan" policy, whereby individuals or organizations can contact the Department of Safety and Security for help when a student is dangerously intoxicated. Both the calling party and the student on whose behalf the call is placed will not face College discipline for violations of the College's alcohol policy. The purpose of the program is to encourage students to seek help for those who need it without being hindered by fear of administrative reprisal, especially if those calling are not entirely sober (or of age) themselves. One thing the policy does NOT promise to do is inure students from the legal consequences of violating New Hampshire state liquor laws (how could it?).

Two weeks ago, a Good Sam call was placed to SAE fraternity for an intoxicated nineteen-year old female, according to a report by The Dartmouth. Responding personnel determined that ambulance transport was necessary, and per Town of Hanover policy, police officers were dispatched to the scene along with the ambulance. The article states that a subsequent investigation revealed that she had been playing beer pong at SAE (with SAE brothers) prior to her incapacitation. Hence, the filing of charges.

The student body was up in arms as soon as the news of the charges broke. In a series of impassioned and increasingly irrational editorials, various members of the Dartmouth community voiced their outrage at the Hanover Police Department's actions. The perceived violation of the sanctity of the Good Sam call was especially vilified. One consistent refrain went something along the lines of, "If this is what happens when we call for help, then we're going to stop calling for help."

The above position, idiotic as it may be, reveals a startling truth about the dangers of entitlement thinking and its accompanying lack of personal accountability. There seems to be a widespread sentiment that the act of calling for help should absolve those complicit from their involvement in the situation. I cannot think of any rational basis for holding that view. One editorial, entitled "D is for Drinking," offered this explanation: "The 'D' in Dartmouth stands for drinking, and that's something that will never leave our campus culture. But it's becoming more and more crucial that we become smarter drinkers ... for the sake of protecting other students' right to drink."

Right to drink? The legal drinking age in New Hampshire is twenty one, and it's illegal to consume alcohol underage or to provide alcohol to individuals who are underage. Where else do you hear vociferous defense of the right of criminals to break the law without penalty? I reject the assumption that Dartmouth students are entitled to drink illegally simply because they're at college. There is no such thing as a "right to drink" and those who choose to ignore that reality must be aware that unpleasant consequences may attend that choice.

National Chess Day

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution last Wednesday that established October 9 as National Chess Day. As a concept, National Chess Day has been around since the time of President Ford, but it evidently had never been an "official" occasion until now. There are a number of events being organized around the country to commemorate the day, though I'm not aware of anything like that currently scheduled in New Hampshire.

On the literary front, I'm embarking on a 735-page journey through, "The life and times of Benjamin Franklin," as laid out in H.W. Brands's The First American. Though history is an interest of mine, I've never been a big one for biographies. All the same, I'm enjoying this volume so far. Through the prologue and into the first chapter, Brands is showing himself a lucid and engaging writer. I especially appreciate that he does not skimp on detail for the sake of readability but instead skillfully weaves the two together. I have high hopes for the remaining 722 or so pages.

The 2010 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded today to Dr. Robert G. Edwards of England, who along with Dr. Patrick Steptoe developed the procedure of in vitro fertilization. It is estimated that more than four million people have been conceived using this method, which debuted with the birth of the first "test tube baby," Louise Brown, on July 25, 1978.

Any mention of the Nobel Prize, in any discipline, usually elicits a diatribe from me against the subjectivity and poor qualifications of the Literature committee, but this year I am going to hold off until the prize is actually announced on Thursday. I've heard rumors that Cormac McCarthy may be under consideration, and as an American author hasn't won since 1993 (when Toni Morrison was the recipient), I would be excited if he did in fact receive the prize.

Connections

I was pleased to read yesterday that Annette Gordon-Reed, Dartmouth Class of 1981, has been awarded a $500,000 MacArthur "Genius" grant. As I've mentioned before, I had the privilege of working on her seminal book, the National Book Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning The Hemingses of Monticello, during my time at W.W. Norton. And since I was the one who sent out the advanced reader copies to the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize judges, I have long (facetiously) claimed credit for her success, which has now been increased by this most coveted of awards. But in all seriousness, a hearty congratulations to Professor Gordon-Reed!

October will see the launching of The Waterman Institute, a new center for faith and learning at Dartmouth. Named for early twentieth century minister Rev. Lucius Waterman, the center is not officially affiliated with the College, though it caters heavily to the Dartmouth and Hanover populations. A number of my former colleagues at The Dartmouth Apologia, now graduated, have administrative and other roles at the Institute. The first official event is a three-week series entitled "What's the Point of Education?" I'm excited to see the Institute get off the ground and look forward to its continued growth in the Dartmouth and surrounding communities.

Out in Siberia, the chess Olympiad is starting to come down to the wire. With two rounds to go, the U.S. men's team is in a three-way tie for fourth place, two points behind leader Ukraine. On the women's side, the U.S. team is in a ten-way tie for eleventh place and is in all likelihood out of medal contention. Go USA!

In other news, science has once again spent countless quantities of time and money proving what grandmothers the world over already knew: Gargling salt water can help alleviate cold symptoms.

Celebrations timely and premature

Ellen celebrated her birthday this past week. Exciting in its own regard, this was especially momentous for us as it was our first special occasion since returning from the honeymoon. Since her birthday fell in mid-week, Ellen had to put in a full day at work, but we managed to properly observe the occasion all the same.

On the subject of holidays, we stopped at a nearby Kohl's earlier in the week. What to our wondering eyes did appear but ... Christmas decorations! Ellen and I were duly aghast. I can understand retailers' wanting to get an early jump on the Christmas shopping season by preempting Thanksgiving by a few days, but putting up decorations more than a quarter of a year early is just tasteless.

From the chess world, the Olympiad is currently underway in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. After five rounds, the U.S. men's team is in a large tie for sixth place with four wins and one loss (to Russia) while the U.S. women's team is tied for third-fourth place with four wins and a draw (to Hungary). Monday's matchups feature the men in action against Vietnam while the women take on Georgia. Go USA!

Closer to home, I won the Troy Fall Octos on Saturday. Sponsored by the Knights Chess Club of Keene, New Hampshire, the tournament was run as two four-player sections ("quads") instead of one eight-player section (an "octo") as originally advertised. This meant stronger competition and more exciting games, so I didn't mind the change. After three hard-fought and exciting games, I finished with a score of +2 -0 =1. It was only my second over-the-board tournament since January, but I was pleased with the result as well as with my games themselves.

Back in the saddle

It's nice to be back in New Hampshire, but after a year in Buffalo, I've had to reacquaint myself with the realities of rural life. One jarring realization was that it's more than ten miles to the nearest store that's open past 10 pm. Additionally, you can't watch the Yankees on television unless it's a national broadcast, since New Hampshire is considered "out of market." On the plus side, though, the lake/foliage/stars are magnificent. You just can't get scenery like that in Western New York (though it certainly has pockets of great beauty). But most importantly (and on the subject of great beauty), Ellen is here, which no place else can boast!

Just before the wedding, I was rehired by the same ambulance company for which I worked following my college graduation. My New York State paramedic certification does not transfer to New Hampshire or Vermont (where the company is physically located, although it operates under New Hampshire protocols), so I am in the process of "transferring my card," as they say. Given the considerable amount of bureaucracy involved, things are actually progressing relatively quickly at this point. Hopefully the process will continue to go smoothly.

While I wait, however, I am doing my junior/senior time at work. Whenever an ambulance company hires a new paramedic, he gets paired with a more experienced paramedic while he gets acquainted with the equipment, company policies and procedures, etc. It's an orientation of sorts, coupled with an informal evaluation of skills. As junior/senior time can often take a number of weeks, I'm fortunate to be able to do it now. This way, once I test out for NH/VT and my paperwork all goes through, I'll be able to go online right away.

In other news, some malls in Brooklyn are trying a new tack in the war on teenager loiterers. While there are no doubt legitimate reasons for pursuing such policies, all I can think of is the Neighborhood Watch Alliance from the film Hot Fuzz.

Wedding!

I married my fiancee Ellen last weekend in Woodstock, Vermont. It was a whirlwind weekend that started with the wedding rehearsal at the church on Friday afternoon. That led almost directly into the rehearsal dinner, which was a lot of fun. Few of our relatives had attended the rehearsal but most were at the dinner; in some cases we were meeting each other's extended family for the first time. Earlier in the week, I had been afraid that I might spend all of Friday night tossing and turning from nervousness. By the end of the rehearsal dinner, though, I was so physically and emotionally exhausted that fatigue conquered nerves, yielding ten hours of much-needed sleep.

Saturday morning began quietly enough, and I made sure to eat a heaping bowl of Wheaties before heading to the church. We arrived an hour and a half early in order to get in a bunch of pictures with the photographer before the ceremony. Despite Hurricane Earl barreling its way up the Eastern Seaboard, the sun was shining and the birds were chirping. When the time came to enter the sanctuary, I was filled with excitement and nervousness, both muted by an overarching serenity.

Yet nothing could prepare me for the flood of emotion when the rear sanctuary doors opened and I watched Ellen begin to walk down the aisle. The joy and awe were indescribable. For as long as I live, I will never forget the way she looked and the way she looked at me. Though I remember keenly what was said and done, the rest of the ceremony nevertheless seems as a blur to me.

The wedding ceremony was followed by more photographs, this time with Ellen and me together with our families. After that the relatives were dismissed, and the wedding party retired to a nearby garden for one final round of photos. It was here that Hurricane Earl caught up to us, in the form of a brief but ferocious downpour. He was too late, though, as we had snapped nearly all the pictures we desired. As it began clearing up, we made our way back to Hanover for the reception.

Ellen and I both had a terrific time at the reception. An energetic cadre of friends had done a fantastic job decorating the DOC House for the event, and the decorations beautifully complimented the picturesque scenery. Perhaps best of all, though, was the opportunity to celebrate and rejoice with the friends and relatives who had traveled from all around the country to share the day with us. There were of course more pictures, plus toasts (my best man gave a terrific chess-and-marriage-themed toast), food, a slide show and naturally the cutting and first-bite-feeding of the wedding cake. And at long last, the time came for us to make our exit.

Next up for us was a night at a lakefront cottage in New Hampshire followed by a weeklong honeymoon on the beach in Florida. It was a superlative seven days. And now we're back in the Upper Valley, excited to be building our married life together, one minute at a time.

(PS: Pictures will be posted shortly.)

Residency

I officially established New Hampshire residency this week. It was a little sad, to be honest. I've been a resident of New York State for all of my twenty three years. On top of that, the NH driver license isn't nearly as cool-looking as its NY counterpart. Looking on the bright side, though, NH is a great place to live and I'm looking forward to establishing outposts of Yankee pride in territory generally considered "Red Sox Nation."

Living in Hanover for four years as an undergrad did not fully prepare me for small-town New England life. Being the site of an Ivy League college, Hanover tends to be more cosmopolitan than other parts of the state. (I mean this literally: Hanover is populated by citizens of the world.) But I'm not in Hanover anymore. On Tuesday, I paid a visit to the Enfield municipal building to obtain proof of residency so I could get my New Hampshire driver license.

"Hello, I just moved here this week, and I was wondering if I could get a proof of residency to show the DMV."
"We are the DMV."
"Great. Then can I apply for a driver license?"
"Oh, we don't do that here. You have to go to the DMV."

Eventually I not only secured the proof of residency (and, the next day, my license) but also registered to vote, obtained a transfer station permit and signed up for a library card. And don't get me wrong, I think New England and New Englanders are terrific. But before my time in New Hampshire is through, this New Yorker is going to prove that you can get there from here.

Moving

I packed the car last Sunday for another trip down I-90 to New Hampshire. This time, though, I wasn't simply visiting for a long weekend. At long last, after being too many months and too many miles apart from Ellen, I was moving to New Hampshire for good. Needless to say, this knowledge greatly alleviated the aggravation of packing. With one final goodbye to Buffalo, I folded my lanky frame into the car and set off for home.

The drive itself was straightforward, although I was combating rain for most of the trip. At times, the rain would strike the windshield with deafening ferocity. This flummoxed the noise-canceling feature on my hands-free headset, but when impeded phone conversation is the worst misadventure to befall you during a road trip, things aren't looking so bad (though don't get me wrong, I would much preferred to hear what Ellen was saying and vice versa).

I'm still settling into the apartment (I'm staying with my pastor until the wedding and will join Ellen in our apartment after the honeymoon), but the unpacking is going fairly smoothly. It's certainly a pleasant chore, and the best part is the company. It's hard to believe that after so much time apart, Ellen and I are finally back in the same area. Exciting times!

In other news, the New York Knights defeated the Boston Blitz 4-0 in the opening match of the 2010 U.S. Chess League season. Congratulations to all the Knights players and good luck in Week Two!

Graduation party

Saturday was the graduation party for the day and evening paramedic classes. The event took place at our instructor's home. It was a lot of fun to see (almost) everybody one last time, and I always welcome any endeavor that will give me a break from packing. Our instructor has a beautiful home located on the edge of a lagoon, and while I personally did not partake, a number of my classmates availed themselves of his peddle boat (there was also a canoe).

Although dark clouds had been looming ominously all day long, the rain fortunately held off for the majority of the celebration. And even when it did start to drizzle, we all huddled under the tents and managed to remain dry. There was no shortage of food or conversation as we reminisced about the year gone by. Near the end of the party, the instructors convened us one last time to hand out the class awards. I was delighted and honored to learn that I had graduated first in my class.

A class picture was taken and goodbyes were exchanged; in time each of us took his leave. It has been a memorable and rewarding year full of challenges and growth. I got what I came for and met some remarkable people along the way. I look forward to staying in touch and hope we all meet again soon.

Paramedic!

I passed the New York State written exam Thursday night, which means I am now a certified paramedic!

Things started off with an early dinner at Dinosaur BBQ in downtown Rochester. The entire day class and most of the night class, along with the instructors and the clinical coordinator, caravaned down for the pre-test repast. I'd never been to Dinosaur before, but I'd heard great things. Its reputation, I can now say with confidence, is well deserved. The barbecued brisket sandwich, cole slaw and fruit salad left nothing to be desired.

After dinner, we made the ten-minute drive to the Public Safety Training Facility at Monroe Community College, which served as the testing site. There are numerous testing locations around New York State, but only four offer on-site scoring (Albany, Syracuse and New York City are the others). The advantage to on-site scoring is that your test is graded as soon as you turn it in and, if you pass, you receive your certification card on the spot. If you are not participating in on-site scoring, your exam is mailed to Albany, where it is hand-graded and the results returned to you within six to eight weeks. Forget that.

The exam itself consisted of 235 multiple-choice questions, of which ten are ungraded "pilot" questions. These are questions the state is considering using on future exams, but which it first gives to us to gauge their difficulty. You never find out which ones were the pilot questions, but they don't figure into your final score anyway. Of the 225 graded questions, the first seventy five are Basic Life Support level. A score of 70% is required to pass this section; if you fail the BLS section, you fail the entire exam. Assuming you pass the BLS section, you then must score 70% or better on the paramedic section to successfully pass the exam (if you pass the basic section but fail the advanced, it would count as your recert and your current certification would be extended for three years).

I won't receive a more detailed score breakdown for a little while, but I do know that I scored 89% on the BLS section and 91% on the paramedic section. Needless to say, I was ecstatic to receive my scores. As it turned out, everybody in both classes passed comfortably, with no one coming within even ten points of the minimum. The results are a testament not only to how hard we worked and studied all year long, but also to how well our instructors prepared us.

We waited for all of our classmates to finish--it was a four hour test, although our times ranged from just over two hours to three and a quarter--and then voyaged back to Buffalo, where Cole's Bar had been selected for the "after party." I didn't stay deep into the night, but it was fun celebrating with my classmates and (now former!) instructors. And since I had to drive home, I limited my exuberance to two large glasses of ginger ale. Best ginger ale I've ever tasted.

Chess update

The last remaining game has finished in my correspondence chess tournament. Although I concluded my games at the end of June, my final tournament standing was not definite until the other players had finished too. Now it's clear that, as predicted, I tied for second place and picked up eleven correspondence chess rating points. I was seeded sixth out of seven players at the start of the event, so I'm pleased with the result overall (although I made poor moves at critical moments in my two losses and ought to have put up a tougher fight). All the games were fun and instructional, however, and I'm looking forward to playing in another correspondence chess tournament soon.

There isn't much in New Hampshire in terms of over-the-board chess tournaments. Many of the tournaments that do exist are scheduled for holiday weekends, which often makes it difficult to attend. In recent years, though, Alex Relyea has done an admirable job of organizing new events across the state. Hopefully I'll be able to attend more of his tournaments in the coming years (my lone participation in one of his tournaments was the 2008 South Burlington Plus-Score, which I won with a 4-0 score). For now, however, my priority is preparing for the wedding and then settling into married life.

For those of you not keeping up with Icelandic paternity litigation, the DNA test results have come back in the Bobby Fischer paternity case. The former World Chess Champion was exhumed from his grave in Selfoss, Iceland earlier this year to settle a suit brought by his former partner, Marilyn Young. Ms. Young alleged that Fischer fathered her daughter Jinky; the DNA testing proved that he did not.

In other news, the Ben & Jerry's store in Hanover closed over the weekend. Its replacement, Carnival I Scream, is slated to open tomorrow. While I'll be sorry to see Ben & Jerry's (and especially Free Cone Day) go, I'm looking forward to visiting its successor!

Black Eyed Peas

Part of my last-full-week-of-work duties involved a standby shift at HSBC Arena on Wednesday. I hadn't been to an Arena standby in a while--not since hockey season ended--but when the Black Eyed Peas came to town, I answered the call. All in all it was a fun concert. Even though I didn't know every song they played, it was a high-energy performance and an exuberant crowd. The concert was more of a production than the Elton John/Billy Joel show I saw in the early spring--costume changes and dancers and multimedia components--but it rarely detracted from the music itself. I hear Nickelback is coming to HSBC sometime in September ... I'm going to have to figure out a way to get on the schedule for that show.

With my departure for New Hampshire only days away, I've reluctantly begun to pack. Ordinarily, packing is pretty straightforward: I grab half a dozen trash bags and stuff all my belongings in them. Once I arrive at my new abode, I begin the arduous process of sorting through everything and weeding out items I no longer want or need. This year, I'm trying a different tack and sorting through everything before packing it up. I'm hoping to spend less time unpacking on the other end; there's certainly enough else to occupy me in the last days before the wedding!

Moving downstate, the New York City Department of Transportation just released a report analyzing more than 7,000 crashes from the middle of the decade in which at least one pedestrian suffered severe or fatal injuries. The report concluded, among other things, that left-hand turns were most likely to result in fatal collisions and jaywalkers stood a lower chance of being run down than people using crosswalks (these are not necessarily related. After all, it's hard to picture hitting a jaywalker while turning left in the middle of a block). The correlation-causation disconnect applies here, as it does to any statistical compilation, but it's nevertheless interesting to hear five years of collisions tell their tales.

In other news, football season is almost upon us. The New York Giants defeated the New York Jets in their preseason matchup Monday night. This is a great time of year to be a sports fan.

Firsts and lasts

Yesterday was the end of (hopefully!) my last full week of work as an EMT-Basic. I'm working one day next week and then taking my paramedic exam on Thursday. If all goes well, I can turn in my exam results to the Human Resources manager and switch job classifications on the spot. There's a training program at the company where new paramedics are paired with senior medics for orientation and training; this process takes roughly a month, depending on call volume and other factors. Unfortunately, I'm moving to New Hampshire four days after the exam.

It's possible to remain part-time with the company (which requires fifty two hours of work per quarter) even from afar, but as far as I can tell, no one has ever tried to do their new-medic orientation on that schedule. I'm waiting to hear back from the operations manager as to what that would look like for me. Trying to do my training in fifty-two hour spurts every three months could take a long, long time. I'm not even certain that I'll try to stay on, though I'd like to, but I'm going to wait to hear back before making a final decision.

Not all of the hospitals in Buffalo have helipads, so from time to time the helicopter is forced to rendezvous with a ground ambulance to bring a patient the rest of the way to the receiving hospital. Yesterday I got to do my first airlift-assist. The second the chopper was on the ground, we rushed out with the stretcher, speedily transferred the patient and then rushed back to the ambulance, crouching down under the rotors all the way. The whole process took maybe three minutes. It was just like a scene from a movie, only cooler because it was real life with a real patient.

In other news, the U.S. Chess League is about to get underway. The New York Knights open the season against the Boston Blitz next Monday at 7 pm. You can bet I'll be watching!

Buffalo anniversary

Today is the one-year anniversary of my arrival in Buffalo. Looking back, it doesn't feel like a year. Or maybe it does. Time is hard to measure retrospectively. As things wind down, I'm finding myself starting to say goodbye to people and places that have become familiar parts of my Western NY life. It's a little strange and a little sad, but the world is a smaller place than it used to be, and goodbye less final.

Since I'm moving out of Buffalo in sixteen days, I'm scrambling to get in all the touristy activities I haven't done yet. Yesterday, a college friend and I went to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo's art museum. We had a lot of fun; the Albright-Knox has a respectable line-up of big-name artists in their permanent collection--Picasso, Renoir, Van Gogh, Monet--as well as a number of painters and sculptors I've never heard of (which admittedly isn't saying much).

I played in the Sardinia Open chess tournament today. In my first tournament since the end of January, I tied for first with a score of 2.5 - 0.5. At times I felt slightly rusty, but overall I was pleased with my play. Here is my favorite game from the event, a Round Two victory over Albert "Pat" Patterson, rated 1764.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 0-0 6. Be3 Nbd7 7. Qd2 c5 8. d5 a6 9. Be2 Rb8 10. g4 Ne5 11. h3 Ne8 12. f4 Nd7 13. h4 Nc7 14. a4 Nf6
















15. f5 b5 16.Bf3 bxc4 17. h5 g5 18. Bxg5 e6 19. h6 Bh8 20. Bh4 exd5 21. Qg5+ Black resigns.

If you can think of any can't-miss Buffalo attractions I should visit before moving back to New Hampshire, please let me know!

New York in the news

New York was in the news quite a bit today. For starters, the state legislature finally passed its budget. This would ordinarily be unremarkable, were the budget not 125 days late. The latest budget ever to be turned in, according to The New York Times, was passed on August 11, 2004. This year's edition avoided that dubious milestone by the narrowest of margins. I maintain that California remains the most dysfunctional state, but this budget fiasco certainly didn't help New York's standing any (neither did temporarily relinquishing control of the AL East).

The state legislature also passed a bill that would count prison inmates as residents of their pre-incarceration towns and cities, rather than counting them as residents of the town in which their prison is located. I'm not philosophically opposed to the idea--it makes some sense--but there's one part that confuses me. In some circumstances, individuals with felony convictions are not permitted to vote. What then is the purpose of redrawing Congressional districts to better represent people who cannot vote for their representatives in the first place?

On a more positive note, Tuesday's New York Times also featured an article about an experimental treatment for cardiac arrest patients: Induced hypothermia. The article, which was satisfactory but superficial, focused primarily on the implementation of cooling therapy in New York City. Apparently they piloted the treatment with local hospitals and are now beginning to train prehospital providers in its use.

Induced hypothermia is an interesting and promising treatment. Current research indicates that the actual mechanism of clinical death among cardiac arrest patients is a buildup of lactic acid and other toxic byproducts of cellular respiration. By lowering the body temperature, the reasoning goes, the body's metabolism is decreased, thereby slowing the release of these toxic byproducts. Early results from this new therapy are encouraging.

My only beef with the article--besides failing to give a suitable overview of what the treatment entails and why it might be effective--is that it barely mentions Buffalo's induced hypothermia program, which is much further along than Manhattan's. Whereas New York City paramedics are just now receiving training in the procedure, some ambulance companies in Western New York have been using it on the street for months. I did part of my field internship with one such agency, but I didn't have the opportunity to employ the treatment during my ride time.

Ellen's final Buffalo visit

Ellen came out to visit this weekend for the last time before I move back to New Hampshire. We had a terrific time, combining a belated birthday celebration with sightseeing and low-key time together too. On Saturday, we went to watch the Buffalo Bisons take on the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs in AAA minor league baseball (the Bisons won, 4-1). Watching a minor league game is a much different experience from attending a major league stadium; for starters, the minor league stadia usually have about one quarter the seating capacity of their big-league brethren. This means you can get much closer to the action without spending a fortune. In fact, it costs the same amount of money to watch two Yankees games from field level ($250 per seat) as it does to buy season tickets to the Bisons ($505 per seat for seventy one home games). Then again, you get what you pay for. Unless A.J. Burnett is pitching, anyway.

On Sunday we crossed the border and went to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. What an experience. We'd been to see the American Falls in February, but the Horseshoe Falls are considerably bigger. The weather was perfect for waterfall-watching: Sunny and clear but not too hot. We bought tickets for the Maid of the Mist boat, which was incredible. It first took us past the base of the American Falls before turning and heading right up to the bottom of the Horseshoe Falls. The wind and spray from the waterfall were pretty ferocious, but we had a terrific vantage point from which to appreciate the Falls. I'll post pictures soon.

Ellen is on her way home now, sadly, but it's only three weeks until I head back east for good. And I won't be hurting for things to do between now and then, so hopefully the time will pass quickly!

Practical exam

I passed the NYS practical exam on Monday. The exam consisted of three advanced life support skill stations (cardiology, ventilatory management and intravenous therapy) and four basic life support skill stations (trauma assessment, seated spinal immobilization, bleeding control/shock management and long bone splinting). Some of these stations had multiple components, however, so it actually felt like more. For example, cardiology was broken down into static and dynamic cardiology and there were two pharmacology sub-stations during the intravenous therapy evaluation.

I passed all of the stations on the first try except for one; I accidentally placed my finger in the wrong spot while starting an IV and contaminated the site. That mistake was easy enough to correct, and I passed the retest with no problems. The rest of my class passed as well, which means there are nineteen students preparing to take the state written exam in August (nine from the night class and ten from the day class).

Between now and then, I am studying for the state exam, working on the ambulance and just trying to enjoy my last weeks in Western NY. It's been a full and exciting year, and I'm intent on ending the year on a high note by passing the state exam. Almost there!

In other news, the Boy Scouts of America announced their newest Merit Badge: Chess!

Turning 23

I turned twenty three last Saturday. To celebrate the occasion, I went down to Westchester to visit my family and attend Old Timers' Day at Yankee Stadium. It was a short trip, on account of the looming community college final exam for my paramedic program, but it was chock-full of activities. On Friday, my brother and I saw the just-released "Inception," starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Talk about a complex movie, but it was quite an experience, especially seeing it on the big screen.

Saturday was the big day itself. New York City was experiencing a heat wave, which meant staying shielded and hydrated was extremely important. My usual modus operandi for baseball games is to forego sunblock, suffer a severe sunburn and then wish I hadn't. Older and wiser now, I instead opted for the preventative application of some SPF 50. That in conjunction with some well-placed shade made for an altogether sunburn-free day.

The Old Timers' Day festivities were a lot of fun. Many of the surviving figures in Yankees lore were in attendance, luminaries like Whitey Ford, Don Larsen and Ron Guidry. Yogi Berra had planned on coming but he had suffered a fall the night before and was recuperating at home. After the introductions were complete, there was a two-inning scrimmage between the two sides, although many of the old Old Timers were replaced by more recent veterans such as Pat Kelly and David Cone.

The Yankees-Rays game was less dramatic than the exhibition game preceding it, in large part because A.J. Burnett gave an early preview of the final result by allowing five runs in 2.1 innings. Still, we had great seats and it was fun to see my favorite players up close. Watching games on TV just isn't the same experience, for watching the players or the game. And of course the new Yankee Stadium has to be seen to be believed. It was quite a birthday!

Final exams

I finished paramedic school this morning. This doesn't mean I'm a paramedic yet; I still have to pass the state practical and written exams. But as far as the community college is concerned, I have completed its program and will be graduating next month. The program culminated in a two-day, 276 question comprehensive final exam administered yesterday and today. It was a demanding exam but a fair one, and I am satisfied with my score. Now to duplicate it (or better) on the NYS written exam!

Now that the college final is behind me, I'm hoping to tackle the mountain of tasks that have piled up while I was immersed in the thick of clinicals. (Reading, writing, chess, paid ambulance work and vaccuuming my bedroom headline a long and distinguished list.) I'm also looking forward to being able to help Ellen with wedding planning again, after too long with too little to contribute.

I've also picked out two chess tournaments, one in August and one in September. I haven't played over-the-board since January, so I'm looking forward to getting back into it. Hopefully I'll have a little time to study and prepare before playing round one!

Speaking of chess, congratulations to International Masters Irina Krush and Samuel Shankland, the new U.S. Women's and Junior champions, respectively!

A New Hampshire Fourth

I traveled to New Hampshire last weekend to spend the Independence Day holiday with Ellen. It was a terrific trip in so many ways. We continued to set up and furnish our apartment, and apart from those brief errands, there was nothing to do but spend three days enjoying the beautiful weather together. On Sunday, we stopped by the Dartmouth Green after church for Hanover's Fourth of July celebration and then watched Lebanon's fireworks show in the evening. The Hanover event was shockingly small, much more so than in years past. We had a great vantage point for the fireworks, though, and enjoyed the show quite a bit.

I had hoped to continue on to Westchester after my visit to New Hampshire, but unfortunately my clinical schedule did not allow it. I was assigned a new preceptor at the end of last week, and the way his schedule was set up, I just couldn't spare the time away. My father and I had planned to see Ringo Starr at Radio City Music Hall on Wednesday, but I guess it'll have to wait until another year. Happy birthday anyway, Ringo!

Big week for sports coming up. The World Cup final is tomorrow, the Home Run Derby and All-Star game are Monday and Tuesday, and the U.S. Women's and U.S. Junior Closed Chess Championships began today and will last through the week. It's going to be exciting!

Clinical IV draws to a close

Today was my next to last shift in the ED. Following Thursday evening's shift I will be all done with Clinical IV. On the whole I have had a terrific experience in the ED. The staff has been eager to teach, and it has been a great opportunity to practice a wide range of skills that will serve me well in the field. Not only is tomorrow my final day, but it's almost the grand opening of the new wing of the ED. It's supposed to be quite spiffy. Rumor has it they haven't hired enough personnel to staff it, though, so I'm interested to see how everything plays out.

My field internship is also nearing completion. Unfortunately, my preceptor suffered a shoulder injury last weekend, so he is out of action until after Clinical V ends. I'm currently scrambling to find another preceptor so I can finish up my last few shifts before clinical break ends in mid-July. I'm not too worried about it, but it's temporarily stressful as my schedule for the next few weeks awaits resolution.

On a more positive note, I am heading back to New Hampshire this weekend to spend the Fourth of July with Ellen. This will be the fifth straight year I've been in the Hanover area for the Independence Day holiday; I can't think of a better place or person to spend it with.

Fifty four days until Opening Day of the U.S. Chess League!

Wrapping up

I turned in my official application for graduation from the community college today. All things considered, it was something of an anticlimax, especially considering there are still seven and a half weeks left in the program. Once I am finished with the program, though, my way will be paved as far as the community college's bureaucracy is concerned.

The World Open chess tournament kicks off tomorrow in Valley Forge, PA. Held every year over Independence Day weekend, the World Open is the largest open chess tournament in the country. There are also a number of side events held concurrently in the same venue, and recently the Philadelphia International was organized to be played the week leading up to the World Open. It's not so much a tournament as a festival of chess, a chance to spend a week eating, sleeping and breathing the game. Unfortunately I cannot attend this year, but I have many fond memories of World Opens past.

Earlier this month, I finished my last game in the correspondence chess tournament in which I'd been competing. Final results have yet to be released, but it appears that my score of 3-2 is good enough for a three-way tie for second-place. I blundered in the final game, but on the whole I was pleased with my games. Correspondence chess is a much different animal than over-the-board chess, but I've been enjoying discovering its nuances.

I was recently invited to contribute to the Collegiate EMS blog, which you can find at collegeems.blogspot.com . If this topic is of interest to you, look for my first post soon. Check back often, as what I write there may or may not be reprinted in this space.

First day of summer

Happy first day of summer! This is my favorite season by far: Birthday, baseball, warm weather, no school. It just doesn't get better than that. Except for this year, when "no school" is replaced by "wedding." Quite an upgrade, if you ask me. Plus, with longer daylight hours than autumn or winter, there's even more time to enjoy the summery goodness.

Time has flown by in a whirlwind of field internship ride time, clinicals and paid ambulance work. I often feel like this is the case ... probably because it is. The end is in sight, though. If all goes well, I will finish my field internship next week and wrap up my hospital clinicals shortly thereafter. The two-day college final exam, the state skills exam and the state written exam will then unfold over the following month, and that will conclude the program. How far we've come in what, looking back, seems like such a brief time.

I've been picking up shifts here and there with the ambulance company for which I work, but my clinical schedule has limited my flexibility in that regard. With the end of clinicals approaching, however, I'll soon be able to get more aggressive in my bidding (shift bidding is the somewhat convoluted process by which employees vie to arrange their schedules). I will have plenty of studying to do between the end of Clinicals IV and V and the end of the program, but the ambulance is actually an ideal place to study. There are far fewer distractions than at home and my paramedic partner is right there if I have any questions.

To end with a pleasant anecdote, my preceptor, his partner and I were eating breakfast this morning when a complete stranger walked up to our table. He said, "This is for the bill," placed a twenty-dollar note on the table and exited the restaurant. I've noted before that this can be a thankless job, but one person like that makes up for a dozen tough calls.

Anniversary post

I graduated from Dartmouth College a year ago today. Which means I'm now two classes removed from the undergraduate student body. And chatting with my old roommate this evening, he pointed out that in less than three months' time, nearly half our undergrad softball team will be married. Talk about surreal. What is growing up, though, but taking on the responsibility for which you are made ready?

I spent much of yesterday at a standby for the Allentown Art Festival in downtown Buffalo. There wasn't much opportunity to explore the various booths, but people-watching was a fascinating diversion in its own right. Everything was going smoothly until a police officer flagged down my unit to report a man bleeding heavily a block away.

Upon reaching the patient's side, we found the report of profuse bleeding was not exaggerated. As I treated the man's injury and packaged him for transport, a slightly adapted version of "Peace Frog" by The Doors kept running through my head. "Blood in the streets / in the city of Buffalo ..."

In other local news, the 2010 Buffalo Mayor's Cup was won by International Master Kenneth Regan with a score of 4.5/5. Held June 5-6, the five-round event featured two national masters, one expert and twelve other players of assorted playing strengths in addition to the victorious Regan. I had hoped to play in this event but went on my Westchester road trip instead. Perhaps next year I will make the journey back to play.

Congratulations Dartmouth College Class of 2010!!