Forget Punxsutawney Phil. The surest sign of spring's impending arrival is the start of spring training. Now, after a long winter, the first spring training baseball games are less than five days away! Needless to say, I am beyond excited. Since the Yankees' dominating World Series victory, I've had to sustain myself on a diet of professional basketball and the Olympics. The fare has been lean. When I find myself hoping the Nets will continue losing their losing ways and set the record for the worst season in NBA history--they might as well, lest they be awful and unmemorable--then it's time for baseball to resume.
Both publications with which I'm currently involved, The Dartmouth Apologia and Buffalo's THRiVE! are preparing to publish their newest issues. I wrote one article for the Apologia and another one for THRiVE!, as well as serving as the managing editor for the latter magazine. I enjoy working in the publishing world, especially Christian publishing, and I've been fortunate to be able to continue that work here. If you're interested in following my writing in particular or the journals in general, subscription information can be found on their respective websites (see above).
In other news, I'm looking forward to the March 12 release of the Matt Damon movie "The Green Zone." The finer points of the plot escape me, but the trailers promise gunfights, chases and explosions. I don't get to the movie theater much, but I'm going to try to see this one when it comes out. It sounds like my kind of movie.
About Me
- Robert
- I'm a 2009 graduate of Dartmouth College who loves Jesus, my wife and all things Northeast.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Books close the gap
I read Vikas Swarup's engrossing Q & A yesterday (you know the movie as "Slumdog Millionaire," 2008's Best Picture winner). It was fairly short--I read it in six hours--but I really enjoyed it, much more than the movie. "Slumdog Millionaire" wasn't bad, but I didn't get out to see it until after it won the Oscar. By that point there had been so much hype that disappointment was inevitable, and all I remember now is leaving the theater with unmet expectations. (Don't worry, no spoilers here. As if you don't already know how it ends.)
The book is composed of several vignettes. Each chapter is essentially a short story unto itself, with a "And thus I knew the answer to the next question" denouement for each. This gives the story much less narrative direction than in the movie. Whereas the movie revolves around Jamal's (he's called Ram in the book) quest for his elusive beloved, Latika, there is no such controlling idea in the novel.
I actually preferred the scattered plot. Ram sometimes refers back--or even occasionally ahead, since the chapters are not totally in chronological order--to people and events from other chapters, but few characters actually reappear. This means that the reader is left alone with Ram and his thoughts for most of the story. As a result, you feel a pathos for the youth, one born of longevity, that is impossible to reproduce onscreen. In conjunction with Ram's itinerant ways, that lends the novel a picaresque flavor.
Ultimately, I closed the book satisfied; as mentioned above, though, the movie was disappointing above all else. Current score: Books 2, Movies 3. Next up on my list is Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. This will be a formidable adversary, I think, and I eagerly await the battle.
The book is composed of several vignettes. Each chapter is essentially a short story unto itself, with a "And thus I knew the answer to the next question" denouement for each. This gives the story much less narrative direction than in the movie. Whereas the movie revolves around Jamal's (he's called Ram in the book) quest for his elusive beloved, Latika, there is no such controlling idea in the novel.
I actually preferred the scattered plot. Ram sometimes refers back--or even occasionally ahead, since the chapters are not totally in chronological order--to people and events from other chapters, but few characters actually reappear. This means that the reader is left alone with Ram and his thoughts for most of the story. As a result, you feel a pathos for the youth, one born of longevity, that is impossible to reproduce onscreen. In conjunction with Ram's itinerant ways, that lends the novel a picaresque flavor.
Ultimately, I closed the book satisfied; as mentioned above, though, the movie was disappointing above all else. Current score: Books 2, Movies 3. Next up on my list is Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. This will be a formidable adversary, I think, and I eagerly await the battle.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Overtime
I was already scheduled for two ambulance shifts last week when one of my classmates announced he was going out of town for the weekend and could I cover for him? I was happy to oblige and so ended up with a total of forty seven hours on duty. This meant that I got to work with five new partners and increasingly familiarize myself with the company's coverage and operations schemes. Plus we spent a fair amount of time on the move, responding to fourteen calls over that period. I had a blast.
Our clinical director announced recently that we can begin Clinical IV rotations as soon as we finish Clinical III, without having to wait for the scheduled start in mid-May. This is great news, because Clinical IV is pretty beefy. Thirteen eight-hour trips to the ED and two visits to the psych unit will take up a considerable amount of time. And since we also have a 255-hour field internship (Clinical V) that takes place largely over the summer, it will be much more pleasant not having to do the two clinicals concurrently.
In other news, the town of Tracy, CA has unveiled a plan to begin charging residents $300 to call 911 for a medical emergency. If they're not feeling lucky, though, citizens can opt for an annual $48 charge that will entitle them to unlimited 911 calls. I cannot make up this stuff.
Our clinical director announced recently that we can begin Clinical IV rotations as soon as we finish Clinical III, without having to wait for the scheduled start in mid-May. This is great news, because Clinical IV is pretty beefy. Thirteen eight-hour trips to the ED and two visits to the psych unit will take up a considerable amount of time. And since we also have a 255-hour field internship (Clinical V) that takes place largely over the summer, it will be much more pleasant not having to do the two clinicals concurrently.
In other news, the town of Tracy, CA has unveiled a plan to begin charging residents $300 to call 911 for a medical emergency. If they're not feeling lucky, though, citizens can opt for an annual $48 charge that will entitle them to unlimited 911 calls. I cannot make up this stuff.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Stroke unit
At long last I had my stroke unit clinical this morning. The rotation had been postponed twice due to various conflicts that arose on the hospital's end, but I got in today and it was well worth the wait. Unlike most clinicals, this was done in groups of three. The preceptor gave us a quick overview of the most common procedures performed there and brought us around for a tour of the facility before the day's procedures got underway.
I saw some truly remarkable stuff. As I watched from the next room, the doctors inserted a tiny catheter into the femoral artery and advanced it all the way up to the carotid artery and then into the brain. Once everything was in position, they placed a stent inside the artery to help improve blood flow. And through it all, the patient was awake and talking to the doctors. I'll never do anything like this in the field, but it's not uncommon to transport stroke patients, and it was fascinating to see what kind of care awaits them at the hospital. One of my fellow paramedic students was equally impressed, if more acerbic in his praise: "This is the first clinical I've been to where I'd actually feel comfortable coming in here as the patient."
Elsewhere on the health front, the American Psychiatric Association recently announced that it had discovered a number of new mental disorders. I recognize that advancements in research and clinical practice often lead to breakthroughs, but some of these new conditions seem ridiculous. Children too prone to temper tantrums might have "Temper dysregulation with dysphoria?" Come on.
Some observers have suggested that pharmeceutical companies were behind the plethora of newly minted conditions. This may be true, but it seems likelier that self-justification was the primary impulse here. In order to justify its own existence, baseball's Hall of Fame election committee elects new members to the Hall every single year whether they truly deserve to be inducted or not. Similarly, the APA may be feeling that its continued relevance depends on showing breakthrough findings, no matter now silly they sound.
Lastly, a cardiology pun: Q. What do you see when you look at the EKG of a healthy pig? A. Normal "swine-us" rhythm.
I saw some truly remarkable stuff. As I watched from the next room, the doctors inserted a tiny catheter into the femoral artery and advanced it all the way up to the carotid artery and then into the brain. Once everything was in position, they placed a stent inside the artery to help improve blood flow. And through it all, the patient was awake and talking to the doctors. I'll never do anything like this in the field, but it's not uncommon to transport stroke patients, and it was fascinating to see what kind of care awaits them at the hospital. One of my fellow paramedic students was equally impressed, if more acerbic in his praise: "This is the first clinical I've been to where I'd actually feel comfortable coming in here as the patient."
Elsewhere on the health front, the American Psychiatric Association recently announced that it had discovered a number of new mental disorders. I recognize that advancements in research and clinical practice often lead to breakthroughs, but some of these new conditions seem ridiculous. Children too prone to temper tantrums might have "Temper dysregulation with dysphoria?" Come on.
Some observers have suggested that pharmeceutical companies were behind the plethora of newly minted conditions. This may be true, but it seems likelier that self-justification was the primary impulse here. In order to justify its own existence, baseball's Hall of Fame election committee elects new members to the Hall every single year whether they truly deserve to be inducted or not. Similarly, the APA may be feeling that its continued relevance depends on showing breakthrough findings, no matter now silly they sound.
Lastly, a cardiology pun: Q. What do you see when you look at the EKG of a healthy pig? A. Normal "swine-us" rhythm.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Valentine's Day
Ellen came to visit this weekend, and we made the most of our time together. On Saturday we went to see Niagara Falls. Part of the Falls is in the United States and the other part, Horseshoe Falls, is primarily in Canada but visible from both sides of the border. We didn't have our passports with us, so we confined ourselves to American Falls. I'd never seen Niagara Falls in person, and I was duly impressed.
One thing that struck me, apart from the spectacularism of the Falls themselves, was the smallness of the surrounding state park. A display inside the visitors' center said that Niagara Falls State Park is 400 acres, 300 of which are underwater. 100 acres is a lot, but the parking lot, viewing area and observation tower were not spacious. Ellen and I didn't feel overly crowded, but there were only a handful of other people in the park since it was the middle of February. Things may be different during the summer!
Erie CC is on its Presidents' Day break, so I have today and tomorrow off. My stroke unit clinical, rescheduled twice by the hospital, is a go for Wednesday morning, and then the PALS written and skills exam is on Thursday. Next week begins geriatrics, I think, and then we start International Trauma Life Support in early March. Once ITLS is over, we'll be only six weeks or so from the end of the didactic portion of the program. It's hard to believe we've come this far so soon!
In other news, Nate Robinson of the Knicks became the first three-time winner of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday. I was pleased about Robinson's victory, but overall the contest was a disappointment. Consider the 1988 contest, in which Michael Jordan defeated Dominique Wilkins, Clyde Drexler, Spud Webb and four others. Where was the star power this year?
One thing that struck me, apart from the spectacularism of the Falls themselves, was the smallness of the surrounding state park. A display inside the visitors' center said that Niagara Falls State Park is 400 acres, 300 of which are underwater. 100 acres is a lot, but the parking lot, viewing area and observation tower were not spacious. Ellen and I didn't feel overly crowded, but there were only a handful of other people in the park since it was the middle of February. Things may be different during the summer!
Erie CC is on its Presidents' Day break, so I have today and tomorrow off. My stroke unit clinical, rescheduled twice by the hospital, is a go for Wednesday morning, and then the PALS written and skills exam is on Thursday. Next week begins geriatrics, I think, and then we start International Trauma Life Support in early March. Once ITLS is over, we'll be only six weeks or so from the end of the didactic portion of the program. It's hard to believe we've come this far so soon!
In other news, Nate Robinson of the Knicks became the first three-time winner of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday. I was pleased about Robinson's victory, but overall the contest was a disappointment. Consider the 1988 contest, in which Michael Jordan defeated Dominique Wilkins, Clyde Drexler, Spud Webb and four others. Where was the star power this year?
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Full steam ahead
Paramedic school is firing on all cylinders these days, especially the clinical component. With obstetrics and gynecology drawing to a close, we've been able to sign up for our Labor & Delivery clinical at Women & Children's Hospital of Buffalo. We have to spend two eight-hour shifts in L&D, during which time we must observe at least two deliveries. A la the intubation clinical in the OR, if we don't see the required number of deliveries during our two shifts, we need to sign up for more.
Additionally, we're about halfway through Pediatric Advanced Life Support right now. Once we finish PALS, we'll be able to sign up for clinical rotations in the emergency department at Children's. On top of that, all of our cardiac and stroke clinicals take place during this clinical period. I'm going to the cardiology stress lab on Friday, the stroke unit next Wednesday and the electrophysiology lab in early March. And of course, the rotations in the adult ED continue unabated.
In addition to class and clinical, I'm managing to keep myself busy with ambulance work, tutoring, chess coaching, CPR instruction and editing work. This weekend will be a welcome break, however, since Ellen is coming to visit for Valentine's Day. It has been nearly four weeks since we last saw each other; Friday cannot come soon enough!
In other news, a nurse in Texas is being charged with felony "misuse of official information" for reporting a doctor to the Texas Medical Board for unsafe and irresponsible medical practice. I don't see how she will possibly be convicted, but I have to approve of the name of the local sheriff: Robert Roberts.
Additionally, we're about halfway through Pediatric Advanced Life Support right now. Once we finish PALS, we'll be able to sign up for clinical rotations in the emergency department at Children's. On top of that, all of our cardiac and stroke clinicals take place during this clinical period. I'm going to the cardiology stress lab on Friday, the stroke unit next Wednesday and the electrophysiology lab in early March. And of course, the rotations in the adult ED continue unabated.
In addition to class and clinical, I'm managing to keep myself busy with ambulance work, tutoring, chess coaching, CPR instruction and editing work. This weekend will be a welcome break, however, since Ellen is coming to visit for Valentine's Day. It has been nearly four weeks since we last saw each other; Friday cannot come soon enough!
In other news, a nurse in Texas is being charged with felony "misuse of official information" for reporting a doctor to the Texas Medical Board for unsafe and irresponsible medical practice. I don't see how she will possibly be convicted, but I have to approve of the name of the local sheriff: Robert Roberts.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
First shift
Yesterday I worked my first ambulance shift since clearing my final eval, covering for one of my fellow paramedic students who couldn't make the first half of his sixteen-hour shift due to a clinical. The day was relatively smooth on the whole; we took two calls in eight hours, one nosebleed and one transfer from a primary-care clinic to the hospital. I got to "tech" (i.e. provide patient care, rather than just drive) the nosebleed call, which was fun, though there wasn't much to do once the bleeding was controlled.
The second patient was transported, at his request, to an area hospital that has a reputation for a glacially slow Emergency Department. I had never brought a patient there before, but I see now that that reputation is well-deserved. The ED was full, so the patient, my partner and I waited in the hallway for a bed to open up. Three hours later, I was fifteen minutes past the scheduled end of my shift, and the patient was still lying on the stretcher in the hallway. What's more, there were two more ambulance crews lined up behind us waiting to drop off patients.
We checked with the ED staff, and they said that it would be at least another hour before our patient got a bed. As luck would have it, another crew from our company was in the ED after bringing a patient to a different unit in the hospital. They graciously offered to stay with our patient so my partner and I could return to headquarters for crew change. We gladly accepted, and my first "road" shift (i.e., non-training) with the company drew to a close. Looking forward to the next one!
In other news, NBA Hall-of-Famer, Knick veteran and Dartmouth alumnus Dick Mcguire died yesterday at age eighty four. It seems that he and his brother Al are the only brothers in the basketball Hall of Fame. Who knew?
The second patient was transported, at his request, to an area hospital that has a reputation for a glacially slow Emergency Department. I had never brought a patient there before, but I see now that that reputation is well-deserved. The ED was full, so the patient, my partner and I waited in the hallway for a bed to open up. Three hours later, I was fifteen minutes past the scheduled end of my shift, and the patient was still lying on the stretcher in the hallway. What's more, there were two more ambulance crews lined up behind us waiting to drop off patients.
We checked with the ED staff, and they said that it would be at least another hour before our patient got a bed. As luck would have it, another crew from our company was in the ED after bringing a patient to a different unit in the hospital. They graciously offered to stay with our patient so my partner and I could return to headquarters for crew change. We gladly accepted, and my first "road" shift (i.e., non-training) with the company drew to a close. Looking forward to the next one!
In other news, NBA Hall-of-Famer, Knick veteran and Dartmouth alumnus Dick Mcguire died yesterday at age eighty four. It seems that he and his brother Al are the only brothers in the basketball Hall of Fame. Who knew?
Monday, February 1, 2010
Buffalo chess odyssey
I won the top section of the Buffalo Quads on Saturday, but unlike many chess tournaments, the battle began long before the first move was made. I arrived at the tournament site, the University of Buffalo's Educational Opportunity Center, ten minutes before the scheduled close of registration. Much to my surprise, the front and side doors were locked. The tournament director and a couple other participants were waiting on the street as well, and the TD mentioned that this had happened at the last tournament also. Thirty frigid minutes later, there was still no sign of the UB security officer tasked with unlocking the center. With the crowd of chess players growing in number and discontent, the decision was made to relocate to the food court of the Main Place Mall, two blocks away.
The Main Place Mall is the site of Michael Mc Duffie's third Saturday tournaments, so chessplayers are well acquainted with the mall and vice versa. When the TD went to apprise mall security of his plan, he was told that he could not hold the tournament there because the mall hadn't received advance notice. This decision was met with surprise and disappointment by the assembled chessplayers, now numbering almost forty, who pointed out that the mall stood to make quite a bit of money by allowing twoscore hungry and thirsty people to spend several hours in its otherwise deserted food court.
Frantically wracking his brain to come up with an alternate location for the tournament, the TD tried calling a local library but to no avail. Just as he was about to cancel the event, the coach of one of the scholastic teams in attendance offered to open up his school for us to use. Some of the players grumbled that the school was too far away and the tournament had already been delayed too much, so they declined to relocate a second time, but approximately twenty of us got back in our cars for the ten-minute drive south. At last, the tournament was on!
One of the biggest challenges I faced was refocusing myself for the games. I had to approach the event as if it had always been scheduled to start at 11 am. If I viewed it as a 9 am tournament that was starting two hours late, I would risk getting flustered by the morning's delays and setbacks. Instead, I just concentrated on starting the event strong and trying to play three good games of chess.
The rest of my quad consisted of an expert, a Class A player and a Class B player. The Class A player and I had played in the same local club when we were in high school, so it was nice to see her again. As for the games themselves, I won two and drew one (against my high school friend), defeating the expert (actually a National Master whose rating had dipped) in a tight final-round matchup.
The Main Place Mall is the site of Michael Mc Duffie's third Saturday tournaments, so chessplayers are well acquainted with the mall and vice versa. When the TD went to apprise mall security of his plan, he was told that he could not hold the tournament there because the mall hadn't received advance notice. This decision was met with surprise and disappointment by the assembled chessplayers, now numbering almost forty, who pointed out that the mall stood to make quite a bit of money by allowing twoscore hungry and thirsty people to spend several hours in its otherwise deserted food court.
Frantically wracking his brain to come up with an alternate location for the tournament, the TD tried calling a local library but to no avail. Just as he was about to cancel the event, the coach of one of the scholastic teams in attendance offered to open up his school for us to use. Some of the players grumbled that the school was too far away and the tournament had already been delayed too much, so they declined to relocate a second time, but approximately twenty of us got back in our cars for the ten-minute drive south. At last, the tournament was on!
One of the biggest challenges I faced was refocusing myself for the games. I had to approach the event as if it had always been scheduled to start at 11 am. If I viewed it as a 9 am tournament that was starting two hours late, I would risk getting flustered by the morning's delays and setbacks. Instead, I just concentrated on starting the event strong and trying to play three good games of chess.
The rest of my quad consisted of an expert, a Class A player and a Class B player. The Class A player and I had played in the same local club when we were in high school, so it was nice to see her again. As for the games themselves, I won two and drew one (against my high school friend), defeating the expert (actually a National Master whose rating had dipped) in a tight final-round matchup.
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