So today was the official real first day of med school. And you know, I think it went pretty well (inshallah, it will continue to go that way). I am so not used to waking up at 6 a.m. and taking 4 hours of class and 2 hours of lab, but embryonic development, biochem and histology were all quite good / enjoyable / manageable / review-esque. Lab professor is such a kick -you know, funny, retired doctor guy -even the quiz at the end was (brace yourself for the grandest display of nerdmanship in a while) Fun (this does not mean I aced it, obviously, but soon enough, I will).
The downside though is that when you're really doing school, you're really not meeting more new people. You're sitting in a big room all together... but that's about it. Oh well, I guess we have plenty of time to 'meet' each other later. I bought some textbooks today. They are heavy and expensive. Also, the Harvard Coop kicks the McGill Bookstore's butt (both in terms of books and merch). On a related note, the McGill undergrads began their Frosh today and as I was walking by the Roddick Gates during my hour lunch break, I noticed a modest table of seemingly grey and crimson Harvard T-shirts. As I read the "witty" (not really) line "Harvard: America's McGill" (which, incidentally, is supposed to play on the more common adage "McGill: The Harvard of Canada"), I received confirmation from the gods that my loyalties, in fact, have not yet been swayed back across this border. I remain faithful to my alma matter thus far, and continue to pine that familiar, beautiful campus and the people who made it so memorable.
I also had to get vaccinated (again) today -turns out that Hep B vaccine I took almost 15 years ago is only good for almost 15 years.
One element of a homework we have due on Wednesday is to make up a clinical case. I'm thinking necrotizing fasciitis (aka flesh-eating virus) -let me know if you have any thoughts.
Oh, and finally, for any chemistry buffs / majors in the readership (or people who have taken a chemistry class and thought, "this will have nothing to do with anything in real life"), you ought to know that even the inorganic chemistry you take (well, organometallic chemistry, which was taught to me in an inorganic class -chem 40 anyone?) will help you in med school. Today, on the official Day 1, who did I reunite with but our good old friend the heme porphyrin. And I recalled Prof. Betley's office hours and lectures with nostalgic fondness. Hey Porphy, I'm ready for you! (Wish I could say that quite as confidently for histology, which is the study of cells... a bit less exciting in theory, but hopefully a bit more exciting in real life.)
Well, Med World, here's to you! Bring it (just not too strong).
P.S. for those of you who prefer to read about the "characters" of this "world", I will try to spruce things up in my next post ;)
Monday, August 25, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
At the Threshold of Med World: FREE. And Fabulous.
Another blog entry so soon -who would have thought it! Just don't get used to it, eh. Well, the real reason is that too much has been happening in this whole new world and whole new life of mine these last couple of days, definitely taking many turns for the better which I felt I should share, especially after the anxiety conveyed in the last entry (thanks btw to everyone who responded with encouragement and other nice words -definitely contributed to the better general feeling!).
Well, so firstly, people have been asking about the cuties. Really, it probably just comes down to the pleasure of encountering new faces and personalities and being attracted to the newness of it all (have I euphemized sufficiently here?) Much to my chagrin, with respect for my affinity to order and control in my life, I have already developed a crush or two (I know, this is ridiculous, it has only been 3 days, but alas, the heart does not always listen to the mind, and it probably also has something to do with this approaching of my peak fertility years or something). Of course, I cannot write about any of these in detail here (one day we might become Facebook friends, and one day this blog may be visited by said crushes, and really, that would just be embarrassing).
Day 2 of med world orientation
So yesterday - -after acquiring some snazzy, high quality, and most importantly, FREE, schoolbags from the CMA (Canadian Medical Association) / MD Financial people (the perks begin early, believe it or not), much continued self-congratulation for being worthy of medicine, attending a few orientation sessions, including an introduction to Physicianship and having received our first homework assignment (in a similar fashion to the Math 1a/1b tradition of homework due on the first day of class), I acquired a McGill ID card. Yes, friends, I am officially a McGill student. So much so that today, incidentally, I joined the McGill network on Facebook, boasting over 30,000 members. Yeah, for reals. Later that evening I enjoyed a decent (and FREE) dinner at Le Prince Arthur with my fellow "Med-Dent Frosh '08" (this is what is written on our yellow wristbands which we are required to wear all this week) and really, our particular table was absolutely fabulous! Really, I think I've met at least some of who will be "my people" -good conversation, same excited positivity, similar interests (met a former MUN person, and someone who did work under a circadian bio dude in the T dot, and someone with a sense of social/moral/anthropological medicine, and all of them are cool with the H-bomb, and in a friendly-joking way, chastise my round-about way of attempting a soft landing with the H-bomb, as well as ask me to say "Pahk the Cah in Hahvahd Yahd") and values -recalling the first days of Harvard Dorm Crew Fall Clean Up freshman year, when I met some of my dearest peoples. It was the best, again FREE, 3-hour long dinner I've had in a long time. I was thoroughly pleased and went to bed with pink warm fuzzies in my chest cavity.
Day 3 Intro to Med World
Today - -I was up at 6:30 a.m. (each day has been earlier than the last this week, but today's start will be the norm beginning next Monday), and walking those hilly streets again by 8:00 on yet another gorgeous sunny but comfortably temperate morning -I think "crisp" would be the right cliche. Anyway, more Physicianship talk -as a doctor, I will be both a "healer" and a "professional" -this was the lesson of the day, which connected to the "small group sessions" where we were put in random groups of about 16 (a mix of Med, Med-P and Dent students) to discuss Physicianship ethical / moral issues for about an hour and a half or so -this will be our group for the year -with a family medicine/Ob/Gyn/head of clinical clerkships doctor (this person will apparently be different every week) to lead the discussion session. This recalls "section" at Harvard. Very much so. No pompousness has emerged yet, but it's still early in the year -someone's going to be that kid and we all know it, right. This may sound skeptical, but it was actually quite a good class -and so far, I kinda liked everyone in our group okay.
Stomachs hollow and angry, we then set off for the Physicianship Apprenticeship Luncheon (PA is not to be confused with general Physicianship and other courses in this area). The group we were assigned to here is 6 fellow Med or Med-P students with whom we will regularly meet for the next 4 years, along with a doctor in charge of the group (our's is a hematologist at MGH -that is, Montreal General Hospital, not Mass General), and 2 co-leaders who are 3rd and 4th-year med students. We will be meeting on a regular basis and for the first year, pairs of us will be assigned a real live patient to 'follow', interviewing them about their health/illness experience (kind of like medical anthropological ethnography if you ask me -which is wonderful!). The point of all this Physicianship stuff, which I love and for which I totally respect McGill, is to train us to never forget about the patient's role in the diagnoses we will make, and in their own healing -to remember that ultimately, patients are people, individuals, not just 'bodies', the converse view being a common obstacle for much of medical training in the Western world, resulting in a poor doc-patient relationship. Kudos to Sir William Osler (whom I will now endearingly call 'Will') for inspiring such care in this regard of medical training here. Anyway, I will likely be 'pairing up' with one of the "my people" friends I made last night who ended up being in the same group, which is sweet -meeting other new people is wonderful, but for long-term 'projects' like this, if you can work with "your people" I think you're much better off. But we will see.
Now, 2 Majoryly Majorly COOL things:
1. Our 4th year co-leader is starting her neurosurgery clerkship (McGill speak for 'rotation') this fall and there is a good chance that our group will be able to watch from that viewing balcony area (just like in Grey's Anatomy... I know, it's a sad day when even med students can't help with the pop culture references) = Coolest thing ever!
2. Subsequent to this Luncheon, some of "my people" and I went on a tour of the Medical Simulation Center, where there are actual beds, real medical equipment, a mock OR room, with manaquins hooked up to machines, and then "complications" are simulated for med students, doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals who work with patients to practice with, thus mitigating the high rate of error that has been known to occur in these cases in real life (this is the function of the Center, apart from just being cool, and so Spa-like in setting, which is ironic because it's cleaner and spiffier than any hospital room I've ever seen in Montreal!). I am excited to bits about eventually practicing in this place. They also have 200 actors in their database who come in and simulate various medical conditions / difficult patients etc, and not only will we be practicing with them, but these situations will end up being our "practical" exams as well. Anyway, SO SO SO COOOOL!
Finally, tonight, Pub Crawl was okay, dancing at the Club at the end was much more fun, having to take detours around all the highway and street construction work in order to drive downtown for said evening activities = less fun, but instructive. Also, I got my package in the mail from Forever 21 which was nice.
But medicine and med school, seems to me like lots of work, lots of play, lots of FREE, and lots and lots of COOLness.
P.S. strangely enough, thought you should know that some of "my people" look freakishly similar (though not the same) to Megan Powell and Firth McEachern..
Well, so firstly, people have been asking about the cuties. Really, it probably just comes down to the pleasure of encountering new faces and personalities and being attracted to the newness of it all (have I euphemized sufficiently here?) Much to my chagrin, with respect for my affinity to order and control in my life, I have already developed a crush or two (I know, this is ridiculous, it has only been 3 days, but alas, the heart does not always listen to the mind, and it probably also has something to do with this approaching of my peak fertility years or something). Of course, I cannot write about any of these in detail here (one day we might become Facebook friends, and one day this blog may be visited by said crushes, and really, that would just be embarrassing).
Day 2 of med world orientation
So yesterday - -after acquiring some snazzy, high quality, and most importantly, FREE, schoolbags from the CMA (Canadian Medical Association) / MD Financial people (the perks begin early, believe it or not), much continued self-congratulation for being worthy of medicine, attending a few orientation sessions, including an introduction to Physicianship and having received our first homework assignment (in a similar fashion to the Math 1a/1b tradition of homework due on the first day of class), I acquired a McGill ID card. Yes, friends, I am officially a McGill student. So much so that today, incidentally, I joined the McGill network on Facebook, boasting over 30,000 members. Yeah, for reals. Later that evening I enjoyed a decent (and FREE) dinner at Le Prince Arthur with my fellow "Med-Dent Frosh '08" (this is what is written on our yellow wristbands which we are required to wear all this week) and really, our particular table was absolutely fabulous! Really, I think I've met at least some of who will be "my people" -good conversation, same excited positivity, similar interests (met a former MUN person, and someone who did work under a circadian bio dude in the T dot, and someone with a sense of social/moral/anthropological medicine, and all of them are cool with the H-bomb, and in a friendly-joking way, chastise my round-about way of attempting a soft landing with the H-bomb, as well as ask me to say "Pahk the Cah in Hahvahd Yahd") and values -recalling the first days of Harvard Dorm Crew Fall Clean Up freshman year, when I met some of my dearest peoples. It was the best, again FREE, 3-hour long dinner I've had in a long time. I was thoroughly pleased and went to bed with pink warm fuzzies in my chest cavity.
Day 3 Intro to Med World
Today - -I was up at 6:30 a.m. (each day has been earlier than the last this week, but today's start will be the norm beginning next Monday), and walking those hilly streets again by 8:00 on yet another gorgeous sunny but comfortably temperate morning -I think "crisp" would be the right cliche. Anyway, more Physicianship talk -as a doctor, I will be both a "healer" and a "professional" -this was the lesson of the day, which connected to the "small group sessions" where we were put in random groups of about 16 (a mix of Med, Med-P and Dent students) to discuss Physicianship ethical / moral issues for about an hour and a half or so -this will be our group for the year -with a family medicine/Ob/Gyn/head of clinical clerkships doctor (this person will apparently be different every week) to lead the discussion session. This recalls "section" at Harvard. Very much so. No pompousness has emerged yet, but it's still early in the year -someone's going to be that kid and we all know it, right. This may sound skeptical, but it was actually quite a good class -and so far, I kinda liked everyone in our group okay.
Stomachs hollow and angry, we then set off for the Physicianship Apprenticeship Luncheon (PA is not to be confused with general Physicianship and other courses in this area). The group we were assigned to here is 6 fellow Med or Med-P students with whom we will regularly meet for the next 4 years, along with a doctor in charge of the group (our's is a hematologist at MGH -that is, Montreal General Hospital, not Mass General), and 2 co-leaders who are 3rd and 4th-year med students. We will be meeting on a regular basis and for the first year, pairs of us will be assigned a real live patient to 'follow', interviewing them about their health/illness experience (kind of like medical anthropological ethnography if you ask me -which is wonderful!). The point of all this Physicianship stuff, which I love and for which I totally respect McGill, is to train us to never forget about the patient's role in the diagnoses we will make, and in their own healing -to remember that ultimately, patients are people, individuals, not just 'bodies', the converse view being a common obstacle for much of medical training in the Western world, resulting in a poor doc-patient relationship. Kudos to Sir William Osler (whom I will now endearingly call 'Will') for inspiring such care in this regard of medical training here. Anyway, I will likely be 'pairing up' with one of the "my people" friends I made last night who ended up being in the same group, which is sweet -meeting other new people is wonderful, but for long-term 'projects' like this, if you can work with "your people" I think you're much better off. But we will see.
Now, 2 Majoryly Majorly COOL things:
1. Our 4th year co-leader is starting her neurosurgery clerkship (McGill speak for 'rotation') this fall and there is a good chance that our group will be able to watch from that viewing balcony area (just like in Grey's Anatomy... I know, it's a sad day when even med students can't help with the pop culture references) = Coolest thing ever!
2. Subsequent to this Luncheon, some of "my people" and I went on a tour of the Medical Simulation Center, where there are actual beds, real medical equipment, a mock OR room, with manaquins hooked up to machines, and then "complications" are simulated for med students, doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals who work with patients to practice with, thus mitigating the high rate of error that has been known to occur in these cases in real life (this is the function of the Center, apart from just being cool, and so Spa-like in setting, which is ironic because it's cleaner and spiffier than any hospital room I've ever seen in Montreal!). I am excited to bits about eventually practicing in this place. They also have 200 actors in their database who come in and simulate various medical conditions / difficult patients etc, and not only will we be practicing with them, but these situations will end up being our "practical" exams as well. Anyway, SO SO SO COOOOL!
Finally, tonight, Pub Crawl was okay, dancing at the Club at the end was much more fun, having to take detours around all the highway and street construction work in order to drive downtown for said evening activities = less fun, but instructive. Also, I got my package in the mail from Forever 21 which was nice.
But medicine and med school, seems to me like lots of work, lots of play, lots of FREE, and lots and lots of COOLness.
P.S. strangely enough, thought you should know that some of "my people" look freakishly similar (though not the same) to Megan Powell and Firth McEachern..
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Medical Salad and Mexican Sun
Salad Day
Today was my first day of medical school. Well, sort of. Technically, it was just the first day of registration/orientation. Three words: Exhilarating, Exhausting and Shock.
It was wonderful to meet so many new people, from different cultural and educational backgrounds; amazing to see ghosts from the past (high school and CEGEP ghosts) who are simultaneously changed and the same; lovely hearing the history of medicine at mcgill and in montreal talk in the PM; fabulous loading up on freebies dime-by-the-doz; and yes, nice to see a few cuties in the mix (if we're being completely honest here). But man, I am dead tired from running around campus on our "Amazing Race" to the "Temple of Frosh", up and down Montreal's notorious hilly streets which infest McGill's otherwise gorgeous campus; energetically spent from being socially "on" for 7 hours straight, including dealing with the odd poor (and usually obnoxious) reaction to the H-bomb (alas, it is no myth my friends, even when you do your darndest to conceal or play it down, ultimately they will know, and try to punish you for their own insecurities -not everyone though of course, not even most people, but definitely a countable few); and thoroughly fatigued from lugging around aforementioned freebies all day long on my right shoulder.
So what's the Shock? Oh My Dear God, I am in Medical School and There is Going to be a Shitload of Work I Really Hope I'm Ready and Can Handle It and I Am Not Familiar With Much -Not This Campus, Not These People, Not Even The Curriculum Structure, Not a Touchstone or Security Blanket of Good Old Familiar Comfort. Maybe it's just premature panic. And then REASON kicks in: You've done this before and you'll do it again, and you'll love it. And. Pish-posh about familiarity! Give it a couple of days, and anyway, YOU will always be YOU and THAT can always be counted upon. But surely once I'm "settled" all will again be well with the world.
Mexican Heat
Imagine this, on my flight back to Montreal from Cancun airport:
We're flying high up, gliding over a bed of frothy clouds, American fields, waters and urban sprawl down below. I'm so excited to be on my way back home, Mexico far behind. The resort in Tulum was actually okay, but the season was too hot and humid and the place was infested with mosquitoes. We did have the cliche white, sandy beaches, expanse of turquoise and azul ocean, straw parasols, vacations lazies, bright blue four-foot deep swimming pools, never-ending cocktails (mostly Virgin obvi), salty fish and nachos. Almost bliss.
Mostly Virgin cocktails quickly became only sprite and water when my stomach decided to go thin and fragile the day after the wedding. It wasn't the food or drink, pretty sure it was the heat of which my body had had enough. The wedding at dusk on the beach was lovely, as was reading chick-lit and real lit on the beach, and sipping my Shirley Temples with lime. Loved dancing the night away (swing-style) with the groom's seven year-old cousin. The buffet was surprisingly good at the resort -my favourite was the caramelized waffle cup filled with whipped cream and slices of fresh mango, cactus fruit and strawberry -yum! There were a ton of Iggies and Lizzies (the reptiles, not the adorable puppet from the hit '90s kid TV show, "Under the Umbrella Tree"), but luckily, none in our room!
We also went on a great breezy boat tour, stopping at the Mayan ruins of Tulum and its sparkling-perfect beach (too hot to visit Chichen-Itza unfort.), as well as spent a few hours at Playa del Carmen, where we "shopped" (mine consisted of 3 postcards and a key chain).
In Summary...
All in all, a nice getaway, but I was so ready to come home, hug my family a ton, get back in the driver's seat of our old Honda Civic and eat home-cooked meals. I also missed Turkey a lot when I was in Mexico which is strange, but then, I'm always missing Turkey.
After today, I came home and thought, aw shucks, I miss Harvard. Not because it was "Harvard", but because it was the first home I had to make for myself, after only knowing the one I had been born into -I missed my old life, my friends, my profs, K-house, "shopping period" (goodness, what a luxury that was!) and last, but certainly not least, Boston Tea Stop. That's it. The big solution. I gotta get me some boba / bubble tea around here.
P.S. would you believe it, but today I met the male version of my name -"Niall" pronounced "nile" -who even knew it could be. We are now BFF. JK, JK, but seriously, that's just crazy.
Today was my first day of medical school. Well, sort of. Technically, it was just the first day of registration/orientation. Three words: Exhilarating, Exhausting and Shock.
It was wonderful to meet so many new people, from different cultural and educational backgrounds; amazing to see ghosts from the past (high school and CEGEP ghosts) who are simultaneously changed and the same; lovely hearing the history of medicine at mcgill and in montreal talk in the PM; fabulous loading up on freebies dime-by-the-doz; and yes, nice to see a few cuties in the mix (if we're being completely honest here). But man, I am dead tired from running around campus on our "Amazing Race" to the "Temple of Frosh", up and down Montreal's notorious hilly streets which infest McGill's otherwise gorgeous campus; energetically spent from being socially "on" for 7 hours straight, including dealing with the odd poor (and usually obnoxious) reaction to the H-bomb (alas, it is no myth my friends, even when you do your darndest to conceal or play it down, ultimately they will know, and try to punish you for their own insecurities -not everyone though of course, not even most people, but definitely a countable few); and thoroughly fatigued from lugging around aforementioned freebies all day long on my right shoulder.
So what's the Shock? Oh My Dear God, I am in Medical School and There is Going to be a Shitload of Work I Really Hope I'm Ready and Can Handle It and I Am Not Familiar With Much -Not This Campus, Not These People, Not Even The Curriculum Structure, Not a Touchstone or Security Blanket of Good Old Familiar Comfort. Maybe it's just premature panic. And then REASON kicks in: You've done this before and you'll do it again, and you'll love it. And. Pish-posh about familiarity! Give it a couple of days, and anyway, YOU will always be YOU and THAT can always be counted upon. But surely once I'm "settled" all will again be well with the world.
Mexican Heat
Imagine this, on my flight back to Montreal from Cancun airport:
We're flying high up, gliding over a bed of frothy clouds, American fields, waters and urban sprawl down below. I'm so excited to be on my way back home, Mexico far behind. The resort in Tulum was actually okay, but the season was too hot and humid and the place was infested with mosquitoes. We did have the cliche white, sandy beaches, expanse of turquoise and azul ocean, straw parasols, vacations lazies, bright blue four-foot deep swimming pools, never-ending cocktails (mostly Virgin obvi), salty fish and nachos. Almost bliss.
Mostly Virgin cocktails quickly became only sprite and water when my stomach decided to go thin and fragile the day after the wedding. It wasn't the food or drink, pretty sure it was the heat of which my body had had enough. The wedding at dusk on the beach was lovely, as was reading chick-lit and real lit on the beach, and sipping my Shirley Temples with lime. Loved dancing the night away (swing-style) with the groom's seven year-old cousin. The buffet was surprisingly good at the resort -my favourite was the caramelized waffle cup filled with whipped cream and slices of fresh mango, cactus fruit and strawberry -yum! There were a ton of Iggies and Lizzies (the reptiles, not the adorable puppet from the hit '90s kid TV show, "Under the Umbrella Tree"), but luckily, none in our room!
We also went on a great breezy boat tour, stopping at the Mayan ruins of Tulum and its sparkling-perfect beach (too hot to visit Chichen-Itza unfort.), as well as spent a few hours at Playa del Carmen, where we "shopped" (mine consisted of 3 postcards and a key chain).
In Summary...
All in all, a nice getaway, but I was so ready to come home, hug my family a ton, get back in the driver's seat of our old Honda Civic and eat home-cooked meals. I also missed Turkey a lot when I was in Mexico which is strange, but then, I'm always missing Turkey.
After today, I came home and thought, aw shucks, I miss Harvard. Not because it was "Harvard", but because it was the first home I had to make for myself, after only knowing the one I had been born into -I missed my old life, my friends, my profs, K-house, "shopping period" (goodness, what a luxury that was!) and last, but certainly not least, Boston Tea Stop. That's it. The big solution. I gotta get me some boba / bubble tea around here.
P.S. would you believe it, but today I met the male version of my name -"Niall" pronounced "nile" -who even knew it could be. We are now BFF. JK, JK, but seriously, that's just crazy.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Paperback Love and Then Some
I have decided that the summer does indeed go by fast. But also, I'm just about ready to start the new life with my crimson-red stethoscope.
Books are lovely things, and I happily spent nearly four hours in Chapters (Barnes & Noble's, Canadian Edition, for all my American peeps) yesterday, when I was in Ottawa, reading the backs of a bjillion novels on the fiction floor and trying to resist the urge to buy out the whole store, which is actually really hard. In order to achieve this last, I found that by jotting down the titles and authors of books I wanted to read in my handy notebook, I was more easily able to release the slew of them from between my fingers and slip them back onto their shelves, so that they might beckon to another, less cheap book-lover. I must admit that the 30% price differential between buying books in the U.S. and Canada, when the Canadian dollar is practically par, just makes me absolutely livid. Anyhow, at the end of it, I was still suckered in by immediacy, purchasing 3 books after reading the first chapter of each to ensure that I would not regret spending a small fortune. I bought Orhan Pamuk's The White Castle, which is fabulous (so far anyway), as well as some light summer reading for Mexico (I leave in 2 days!) -namely, Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella and Me and Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter. Don't worry, there is also some Sylvia Plath (The Bell Jar) and Ethan Canin (America America) on my reading list... it's unfortunate that proper literature must cost a proper dime. But well, proper literature all the time just wouldn't be proper either (I really want to read The Virgin's Lover by the beezys' beloved Philippa Gregory).
I must confess though, I did not travel all the way to Ottawa just to peruse through paperbacks (this took place during a long bout of rain) -and earlier, I had gone with my sister and her British friend to visit the Parliament buildings, go up the Peace Tower, walk some ways along the Rideau Canal and Sparks Street, and at long last, eat noodles from a box (just like in the movies!). A pleasant day trip, really. Conked out easy when I came home that night too.
It's been nice catching up with old friends after a long time -did a bit more of that today and have been doing it a bit more each week this summer (or at least this past week) -it's comforting and lovely to be able to pick up right where you left off and forget about all the months and years that passed in between, talking about adventure, great love, and personal discovery instead. Ah, well.
Mexico is just two days away -and I've heard the Mayan Riviera is supposed to be really amazing. Psyched.
Books are lovely things, and I happily spent nearly four hours in Chapters (Barnes & Noble's, Canadian Edition, for all my American peeps) yesterday, when I was in Ottawa, reading the backs of a bjillion novels on the fiction floor and trying to resist the urge to buy out the whole store, which is actually really hard. In order to achieve this last, I found that by jotting down the titles and authors of books I wanted to read in my handy notebook, I was more easily able to release the slew of them from between my fingers and slip them back onto their shelves, so that they might beckon to another, less cheap book-lover. I must admit that the 30% price differential between buying books in the U.S. and Canada, when the Canadian dollar is practically par, just makes me absolutely livid. Anyhow, at the end of it, I was still suckered in by immediacy, purchasing 3 books after reading the first chapter of each to ensure that I would not regret spending a small fortune. I bought Orhan Pamuk's The White Castle, which is fabulous (so far anyway), as well as some light summer reading for Mexico (I leave in 2 days!) -namely, Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella and Me and Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter. Don't worry, there is also some Sylvia Plath (The Bell Jar) and Ethan Canin (America America) on my reading list... it's unfortunate that proper literature must cost a proper dime. But well, proper literature all the time just wouldn't be proper either (I really want to read The Virgin's Lover by the beezys' beloved Philippa Gregory).
I must confess though, I did not travel all the way to Ottawa just to peruse through paperbacks (this took place during a long bout of rain) -and earlier, I had gone with my sister and her British friend to visit the Parliament buildings, go up the Peace Tower, walk some ways along the Rideau Canal and Sparks Street, and at long last, eat noodles from a box (just like in the movies!). A pleasant day trip, really. Conked out easy when I came home that night too.
It's been nice catching up with old friends after a long time -did a bit more of that today and have been doing it a bit more each week this summer (or at least this past week) -it's comforting and lovely to be able to pick up right where you left off and forget about all the months and years that passed in between, talking about adventure, great love, and personal discovery instead. Ah, well.
Mexico is just two days away -and I've heard the Mayan Riviera is supposed to be really amazing. Psyched.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Grand Indeed
… was the Grandest of all Canyons! Stunning really –just hugely gorgeous, an awesome natural wonder that is so magnificent, it knocks the wind straight out of you. Barely glimpsed the 
We also drove by a bunch of other places, including the windy road along Oak Creek Canyon, and to the sacred Native American Boynton Canyon, keeping an eye out for ‘shapes’ in the rocks –like a ‘sleeping elephant’, ‘sky-gazer’, ‘Snoopy’, ‘tea pot’, ‘chimney’, etc. By the end of that day, we were shedding what looked like eraser shavings, namely dust mixed with sunscreen and dry skin, exhausted, but satisfied, and happy to enjoy a delicious dinner (I had Cajun Shrimp and Scallops with rice) at Judi’s, a local favourite.
The following day was our Grand Canyon Tour –everything felt a bit rushed, but for our situation, it really was the best option. Some great views, and a stop right at the beginning to watch the eighties IMAX film on Grand Canyon, as well as a historically, geologically, herbologically and in-other-ways informed (what sticks out most in my memory was the explanation of ways to get right into Grand Canyon –unfortunately, our own experience was not quite so interactive with this ancient, majestic place –particularly, the treacherous and stamina-requiring mule-rides –did you know that mules were a cross of a jackass and a mare, and that they are sterile?) and funny, old tour guide, a gourmet lunch at the famous El Tovar hotel’s restaurant, some light shopping on the Navajo Indian reservation and such (I had some ‘opinions’ about the state of affairs of all this –really you’d think the government could do just a bit better for a people that have contributed to the cultivation of such a rich cultural history!) –arriving back in time for dinner at the only Chinese restaurant in Sedona (which had some pretty awesome Chow Mein).
The next day we kinda just chilled out –it was our Spa day (already described somewhat) –three of us had a sugar-shea-butter body treatment, which was amazing, especially as I’ve never had anything like it before! Also, I had never been in a steam room before –you don’t really feel like you’re going to suffocate and die as much as I thought you would –actually, once you get used to it, it’s even quite pleasant, and when you come out, your soft skin glows beautifully! Before that, we explored Tlaquepaque, which is the artist gallery village part of town and picked up some fabulous bargain Arizona turquoise, took some fun statuesque photos (we posed with the statues and the fountains –good, silly fun!) and had some refreshing pink lemonade at El Rincor, a Mexican place right in the heart of it. That night we ate at the famous Cowboy Club Silver Saddle restaurant in Uptown (i.e. just ‘town’) Sedona, trying out tender barbequed buffalo brochettes, and cactus fries dipped in a zesty Prickly Pear tequila sauce –really yummy local flavours here (I did not get up the nerve to taste Rattlesnake -as my aunt says, "I can't eat things that could potentially eat me" -that's where we drew the line, much to my mother's adventurous chagrin)!
On our last day, we were up at the crack of dawn to drive grandma and aunt to the airport, and then Mum and I re-visited some of the Red Rock sites, and hiked all the way up Airport Rock just as it began to drizzle, making it back down before any heavy rain. By afternoon, we were on our 24-hour-long journey back home via LAX (lovely Hibiscus and palm trees at the airport by the way, which is officially all that I’ve ever seen of L.A. –the same goes for D.C. sadly), D.C. and Burlington, with delays nearly everywhere.
Flowers outside the Chapel of the Holy Cross: "Please don't pick us, we're smiling at God..."
Monday, July 14, 2008
Settling In, Anticipating Adventure
At long last, the cleaning and organizing of my bedroom has been completed. 4 donation bags, 5 garbage bags, and countless hours later, it is now very warm, and cozy and orderly, just the way I like it to be. This is why I have not posted in over a week -I apologize for my irregularity. It was worth it though, I won't lie. Nothing like straightening out all that outward chaos for the calming of inner mess. In a way it's like summer is only really starting now, even though we are half-way through.
I woke up early today and had slept quite badly last night due to bizarre lifeguarding dreams with loonies playing with children's lives -unsettling indeed. But then I had a lovely breakfast of homemade cheese straws and banana bread with Earl Grey tea. Oh, Beezys, did you know that in Swahili 'nbizi' means 'banana'? I learned that from my sister's boyfriend, who, incidentally, arrived yesterday to visit her for about a week or so, and has just spent the last few weeks between Tanzania, Kenya, England and Portugal (lucky dude right ;). Anyway, here I am typing away on my bed, with classical music playing in the background (like real classical music -Tchaikovsky, Bizet, Bach, Dvorak -none of that New Age stuff, although I do enjoy that as well oftentimes). I actually took my sweet time meticulously painting my toenails (yeah. really. but this is what it means to 'relax' right?), put on some of my brand new clothes and went for a walk before lunch, picking up my newly-hemmed, new pants from the dry cleaners (story of my shortness in life) on the way back home.
I also window-shopped online for a new laptop since mine is mid-death at present (constant, repeated crashing, but it still turns on -luckily sufficient warning that I have backed it up well). For a while I considered switching to a Mac, but then remembered how much I dislike the Apple interface. The new Dell Inspirons are beautiful though and you can get a 14' that weighs about 5 lbs -not light, but not too extremely heavy either. There's also the Dell XPS M1330 which is thinner and lighter, but with a 13-inch screen, which equals tiny keyboard, my fingers would get too squished. And the last thing a potential-future-surgeon needs is hand-tendinitis, right. Anyway, if you have any suggestions for me, please share!
Oh, so I forgot to mention a few things: firstly, I attended my first bachelorette party shortly after Independence Day (this is a shout-out to my US affiliations -what can I do, it's part of me now right, might as well embrace it for all the good I got out of it for 4 years!) and it was crazy fun! I will not go into details here, but will share what I thought was the ultimate highlight: making the bride-to-be wear a candy-bra gag-gift over her clothing, and then traipse around downtown Montreal, selling bites for $1 from the back, or for $2 from the front, raking in over $35, including donations from policemen and hot firemen (who, unfortunately, did not bite off any candy though, since they were in uniform) -not too shabby at all. And also, really not as shady as it sounds -the streets were packed with many other bachelorettes and bachelors to-be doing all kinds of crazy stuff, and there were like 10 of us girls to 'fend off' weirdos and get on our victims' case about 'the rules' (like hands behind your back when you bite, pay first, bite second, etc).
Also, August Rush is a fabulous movie -great music, Robin Williams, Felicity (Keri Russell) and and the "Coach" from Bend It Like Beckham (aka Henry VIII on "The Tudors", Jonathan Rhys Myers), some good acting on the part of the main kid, cheesy story, but the script is not half bad, and overall, highly, highly enjoyable! Also, The Jane Austen Book Club, is a sweet chick flick.
Oooh, Bach's Brandenburg Concerto -'love it (playing now, which means I have been updating you here for way too long!).
Tomorrow night (well, technically, very early Wednesday morning), Mum and I leave for Arizona (via Burlington, Chicago and LA... we will, inshallah, get there eventually though!) -so excited to visit the Grand Canyon, as well as Cathedral Rock in Sedona. The weather forecast has some rain with thunder, but hopefully that'll clear up by Thursday! My real, grand summer adventures are about to begin -what's not to look forward to, eh?
I woke up early today and had slept quite badly last night due to bizarre lifeguarding dreams with loonies playing with children's lives -unsettling indeed. But then I had a lovely breakfast of homemade cheese straws and banana bread with Earl Grey tea. Oh, Beezys, did you know that in Swahili 'nbizi' means 'banana'? I learned that from my sister's boyfriend, who, incidentally, arrived yesterday to visit her for about a week or so, and has just spent the last few weeks between Tanzania, Kenya, England and Portugal (lucky dude right ;). Anyway, here I am typing away on my bed, with classical music playing in the background (like real classical music -Tchaikovsky, Bizet, Bach, Dvorak -none of that New Age stuff, although I do enjoy that as well oftentimes). I actually took my sweet time meticulously painting my toenails (yeah. really. but this is what it means to 'relax' right?), put on some of my brand new clothes and went for a walk before lunch, picking up my newly-hemmed, new pants from the dry cleaners (story of my shortness in life) on the way back home.
I also window-shopped online for a new laptop since mine is mid-death at present (constant, repeated crashing, but it still turns on -luckily sufficient warning that I have backed it up well). For a while I considered switching to a Mac, but then remembered how much I dislike the Apple interface. The new Dell Inspirons are beautiful though and you can get a 14' that weighs about 5 lbs -not light, but not too extremely heavy either. There's also the Dell XPS M1330 which is thinner and lighter, but with a 13-inch screen, which equals tiny keyboard, my fingers would get too squished. And the last thing a potential-future-surgeon needs is hand-tendinitis, right. Anyway, if you have any suggestions for me, please share!
Oh, so I forgot to mention a few things: firstly, I attended my first bachelorette party shortly after Independence Day (this is a shout-out to my US affiliations -what can I do, it's part of me now right, might as well embrace it for all the good I got out of it for 4 years!) and it was crazy fun! I will not go into details here, but will share what I thought was the ultimate highlight: making the bride-to-be wear a candy-bra gag-gift over her clothing, and then traipse around downtown Montreal, selling bites for $1 from the back, or for $2 from the front, raking in over $35, including donations from policemen and hot firemen (who, unfortunately, did not bite off any candy though, since they were in uniform) -not too shabby at all. And also, really not as shady as it sounds -the streets were packed with many other bachelorettes and bachelors to-be doing all kinds of crazy stuff, and there were like 10 of us girls to 'fend off' weirdos and get on our victims' case about 'the rules' (like hands behind your back when you bite, pay first, bite second, etc).
Also, August Rush is a fabulous movie -great music, Robin Williams, Felicity (Keri Russell) and and the "Coach" from Bend It Like Beckham (aka Henry VIII on "The Tudors", Jonathan Rhys Myers), some good acting on the part of the main kid, cheesy story, but the script is not half bad, and overall, highly, highly enjoyable! Also, The Jane Austen Book Club, is a sweet chick flick.
Oooh, Bach's Brandenburg Concerto -'love it (playing now, which means I have been updating you here for way too long!).
Tomorrow night (well, technically, very early Wednesday morning), Mum and I leave for Arizona (via Burlington, Chicago and LA... we will, inshallah, get there eventually though!) -so excited to visit the Grand Canyon, as well as Cathedral Rock in Sedona. The weather forecast has some rain with thunder, but hopefully that'll clear up by Thursday! My real, grand summer adventures are about to begin -what's not to look forward to, eh?
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
If I love you, keep reading...
If not, please stop -your behaviour is considered "sketchy". If this is making you uncomfortable because you're not quite sure which category you fit into, rest assured, I'll help you figure it out. If you received an e-mail inviting you to partake of my life through the Old City Fountain, or if you are a family member, or if you know in your heart of hearts that I meant to include you in my e-mail and only forgot out of brain clumsiness, then please stay, please read, always, of course -you are in the "loved" category! If you are a publisher, you are also in the "loved" category. However, if you're here through other stalker-like tendencies, go away. Go away now.
Okay, thanks.
To the "loved": Sorry about that. Just had to get that out in the open because I actually met one such person not too long ago and it totally freaked me out. Not rando-randos, but acquaintance- randos, whose intent is well, let's just say unclear for diplomacy's sake, which of course is kind of unnerving nonetheless.
It has been a long time since I last posted -and a lot has changed since the last post. Namely, I finished the last Harry Potter, I painted my bedroom a lovely light yellow, with a beautiful strip of wallpaper around the middle that is a "scenery" that looks much like Captain von Trapp's river banks landscape (sort of) with crimson, dare I say, Harvard-looking buildings (well, it's probably the fact that they're crimson that is particularly reminiscent of Cambridge, Mass.) in the distance, pink magnolia bushes, and trees on the banks. The Canada Day fireworks / light show yesterday were pretty good. Jazz Fest started on the 26th and I only went on the 28th -flaking out early indeed, I'd say, especially since it's the only time I've been yet. Lio! or as Thea Vula would say (from My Big Fat Greek Wedding), "Woe to me!" However, I am determined to catch some more of it before it ends on Sunday -this is a promise (to myself, obvi). Community projects also underway (cross fingers all goes well).
Sadly, the real writing has been on hiatus. How is there just no time now that the back is nearly all better? Ironic, eh. Grand Canyon trip just a couple weeks away though... maybe it will be inspiring.
Loving hugs and hugging loveds --
Okay, thanks.
To the "loved": Sorry about that. Just had to get that out in the open because I actually met one such person not too long ago and it totally freaked me out. Not rando-randos, but acquaintance- randos, whose intent is well, let's just say unclear for diplomacy's sake, which of course is kind of unnerving nonetheless.
It has been a long time since I last posted -and a lot has changed since the last post. Namely, I finished the last Harry Potter, I painted my bedroom a lovely light yellow, with a beautiful strip of wallpaper around the middle that is a "scenery" that looks much like Captain von Trapp's river banks landscape (sort of) with crimson, dare I say, Harvard-looking buildings (well, it's probably the fact that they're crimson that is particularly reminiscent of Cambridge, Mass.) in the distance, pink magnolia bushes, and trees on the banks. The Canada Day fireworks / light show yesterday were pretty good. Jazz Fest started on the 26th and I only went on the 28th -flaking out early indeed, I'd say, especially since it's the only time I've been yet. Lio! or as Thea Vula would say (from My Big Fat Greek Wedding), "Woe to me!" However, I am determined to catch some more of it before it ends on Sunday -this is a promise (to myself, obvi). Community projects also underway (cross fingers all goes well).
Sadly, the real writing has been on hiatus. How is there just no time now that the back is nearly all better? Ironic, eh. Grand Canyon trip just a couple weeks away though... maybe it will be inspiring.
Loving hugs and hugging loveds --
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