Divertirse.

From GChat:

Mayce: it sounds like an effing frat party out my window
Mayce: i'm so confused
Me: ???
Me: are people having fun?
Me: is that possible?
Mayce: i can't imagine they're hms people
Mayce: they sound too happy and carefree

Med School Priorities

I actually can't overstate how much better this weekend has been due to white cheddar Cheez-Its.

Also, note that I own 3 different books by Costanzo. I've probably pointed this out before, but good gosh[usa].

Happy Bday, Alison

"If you're yellow, stay mellow." Happy Birthday to our favorite mellow yellow person.


It's probably worth noting that Alison's last name means (or actually, is) "yellow" in Chinese. It's also worth mentioning that this project is an attempt to "own yellowness"--don't try this at home.

Home Alone Moment

AHHHHHHHHHH!
(hands on cheeks)

Emoticon verisimilitude

From GChat:

Colleen: omg, how did you find an emocon that mimics your exact expression?
Colleen: I'm still laughing btw

The "smiley" face?

Best Comment Thread, Ever

Recently, there was a YDN op-ed on Bobby Jindal's disastrous Mister-Rogers-meets-Kenneth-the-Page response to Obama's State of the Union Address. The written piece itself was interesting, but its comment thread stole the show:

• #6 By new politics 8:40am on February 28, 2009
  We need Ron Paul
  
  
• #7 By Hiero II 9:17pm on February 28, 2009
  We need Sean Paul
  
  
• #8 By lolcats 8:24pm on March 1, 2009
  We need Pope John Paul
  
  
• #9 By Led Zep 2:18am on March 2, 2009
  We need John Paul Jones
  
  
• #10 By Saved by the Bell 9:38am on March 3, 2009
  We need Mark-Paul Gosselaar
  
  
• #11 By P Diddy 11:36am on March 3, 2009
  We need Sean John

Zack Morris, you can replace Bobby Jindal anyday. But this thead is particularly sweet because of its Ron-Paul-to-Sean-Paul transition. As you may recall, I am a huge fan of this comparison:

UR invited b/c UR ivee.

I got an obnoxious invitation today to attend the Ivy Council Conference in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1993 (not old enough to drink yet--even in Canada), the Ivy Council is apparently some group that thinks that it's a good idea for students from exclusive institutions to be even more exclusive. To attend this conference, you have to apply and be selected.

Here's the invite:

Hey, the reason your getting this email is because your at Harvard, and we wanted to tell you about the Ivy Council. The Ivy Council is the only student run organization that brings all of the Ivy Schools together as one.

We are trying to spread the word about a major event that is going on with delegates from all of the Ivy league institutions and was wondering if you could forward this application to all of the student groups that you may oversee or be a part of.

Are you interested in discussing foreign and domestic policy issues, such as education, health care, and Middle East policy, with some of Washington's heavy hitters? If so, apply to the CIVIC Conference - Change Involving Values In Communities! Hosted by the Ivy Council and USA Today, this conference will be a weekend full of engaging discussions with government leaders on the Hill and in the heart of Washington, D.C. Programming will also include forums at the USA Today headquarters and opportunities for policy-inclined students of the Ivy League to network with one another.

Where do I begin?

1. Two your/you're errors in the very first sentence! Not sure if that tuition has been worth it.
   
2. What's the inherent benefit of bringing students from Ivy League institutions together? Isn't there some limit to the concentration of tools in one physical space? Oh wait, this in the "heart of Washington D.C."--aka K Street. (It's ok. I worked at 13th and I, so I can say this.)
   
3. What the heck is "change involving values in communities"? And how will your networking mixer encourage this to happen?

Ever the fan of word thrift, I can rewrite the invitation in three sentences:

Hey, are ewe interested in attending an exclusive event to make you'reself feel like you're tuition dollars have been put to good, exclusive use? Apply to attend our Conference, which will allow you to talk to heretofore unidentified "heavy-hitters" (no performance-enhancing drugs, promise) in D.C.! We will also be discussing the definitions of "community," "values," and "change" within any and every context imaginable since some freshman (from an IVY!) came up with this theme after his intro political philosophy final.

Doctor Poncho

From my boss from last year:

We are taking up a collection to get you a new white coat/jacket thing. And don't cool docs have them in fashion colors or something? Seriously, you gotta get that thing tailored.

Feedback

From Christine (K.), via GChat:

When I have to Google a word that you used that ends up being an uncomfortably strange and painful medical condition, it means you need to step away from your books and run 30 miles away from campus andpractice conversing in normal speak. Don't make me worry for you. Run!

The word? Priapism.

The context? Pfizer.

One is...

the loneliest number. And what better way to emphasize how alone you are than coming back to GChat to find that no one else is there?

Status message: not so much desperate as sad that he doesn't know which cells in the nephron do what...


On a side note, I was just almost plowed over (literally) by a snow plow on Longwood Ave. My sympathetic nervous system went crazy, and the second thought to my head (after "AHHHHHH!") was about how my afferent arterioles may have just constricted.

Thanks, renal physiology, for making me the best party conversationalist, ever.