In this, my final semester at Miami, I've noticed an alarming trend: sidewalk etiquette is waning. Granted, it's possible that sidewalk etiquette here has been terrible for the entirety of my Miami career and it has simply escaped my attention until now, but I don't think this is the case.
As I walk to and fro--whether I'm on my way to class, to get food, or to get sleep--this plague of the pavement impedes my path perpetually! As I'm scooting around campus, I frequently see small groups of people, probably friends, who are all walking side-by-side along the sidewalk, unyielding to others--the Manifest Destiny of the pavement, perhaps. Of course, I am not one to deny others the right to be friendly or cordial by urging others to force their friends to walk behind or in front of them in a single-file line. Rather, I am urging others to walk behind or in front of their friends when there are others on the sidewalk who would like to get by without stepping off the pavement. Instead, these clusters of people plow forward as if one monolithic juggernaut, displacing all others in their path off the path. The call for these groups to allow the room for a single person to pass by without exiting the sidewalk would seem to be easy to accommodate.
But what if--perish the thought--two of these sidewalk syndicates come face to face, both vying for what they apparently see as their rightful place on the full breadth of the sidewalk? Would it play out as if a scene from West Side Story? Well, this need not happen. I propose a simple solution to this absolutely simple problem. I call it "proportional perambulation." Are you walking with a friend and you're encountering two other people walking together down the sidewalk? You and your friend get 1/2 of the sidewalk and the other group gets 1/2 of the sidewalk. Are there three of you and one of them? You get 3/4 of the sidewalk and the other individual gets 1/4. Are there five of you and two of them? Well, unless you're on a very wide sidewalk, some of your group may need to lag behind in order for your group as a whole to fit within 5/7 of the sidewalk. Another key component to this is that the fraction allowed for the other group must allow enough room for at least one individual to pass through. These are the key tenets to proportional perambulation, and as college students, we should all be educated well enough to handle fractions. Preach it. Practice it. Be a winner.
Currently listening to: "Cupid's Chokehold" by Gym Class Heroes
Previous activity: My last day of neurophysiology lab
Next thing on the agenda: Watching Scrubs then reading
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Saturday, October 28, 2006
So, it's been a while, and for good reason
Since the last time I posted on September 18th, I've been to five med school interviews and have missed countless classes. In fact, during one two week stretch, I attended only a single class, during which I took an exam (Neurophysiology). So how about a quick summation of the events that have transpired?
My first interview was on September 26th with the University of Chicago. Having heard some less than savory things about Hyde Park, the area in which the school is, I was mildly paranoid about leaving all of my stuff in my car during the interview with the thought in the back of my mind that my car may be broken into during the interview, as I wasn't sure how the parking situation might be. Ironically enough, the night before the interview, my car was broken into--window busted out and all--in Wicker Park, where I was staying with a friend. Nothing major was stolen; it really was more of an inconvenience than anything else, with my primary concern being that I may have to drive to Pittsburgh in a couple days still without a window. I've always hated driving on highways with the wind blowing in. It drowns out the music! Nevertheless, the interviews (there were three of them at UC) I thought went pretty well, and I think the admissions committee may have been mildly impressed with me for not flipping out regarding the break-in. I've yet to hear from the school, though, in regards to whether or not I've been accepted, rejected, or placed on a waitlist. I should be hearing something from them in the near future. The Chicago trip was great, despite the break-in. I was able to hang out with my good friend Naynay and old buddy Ryan while in Chicago, and was able to swing by Notre Dame to see my friend Ting on my way home.
The second interview was a few days later at the University of Pittsburgh, a school that I've been quite excited about from the beginning. The interviews all went pretty well, with the exception of one, which was fantastic. It turns out that the assistant dean of admissions, with whom I had one of my interviews, is a big fan of Tool and actually went to their concert in Pittsburgh a few days before the interview. I, having attended my fifth Tool show only a week or so before, was more than happy to talk to her about Tool for about 20 minutes. I felt great about my chances afterward, needless to say, and I've since been accepted, about which I'm absolutely thrilled. While in the city, I was able to visit my friend Danielle and her husband Aaron--I had driven to Maine in June to be at their wedding.
The third interview was with St. Louis University, a school that I've kind of considered my back-up from day one. The interview went well, and honestly, the group of interviewees was really great. It made the day much more enjoyable. I met up with my family, minus my older brother who is of course in California now, which was nice. I've since been accepted here, though I turned down the acceptance after hearing the good word from Pittsburgh.
The fourth and fifth interviews were combined into one trip: first at UPenn in Philadelphia and next at NYU in Manhattan. I loved UPenn. It's probably my first choice overall at this point, and it'll be difficult for anyone to top it. The interviews went pretty well, especially the student interview, but I won't hear from them one way or the other until March at the earliest. Philadelphia was also very nice. I've been there before, but did not really have the opportunity to truly experience the city. I had the opportunity this time around, and was very pleasantly surprised by it. I stayed with my old friend Karla from nerd camp back in the day; she's doing her PhD in Immunology at UPenn now. I was also able to catch up with my college friend Scott, who is at UPenn for his MD/PhD, and my Uncle Mike. Afterward, I hopped a train to Manhattan and was able to catch up with my friend Nancy, who's getting her MD at Cornell on the Upper East Side, and her boyfriend Rick, who's getting his MD at NYU. I was staying with Rick, who made for a really good host, and the location was very convenient for the interview. I liked NYU more than I thought I would, though, admittedly, I didn't know much about it prior to getting there. The interview went very well, and I should hear from them as early as December.
So that's where things currently stand. After hearing from Pittsburgh, I cancelled my interviews at the University of Missouri and Ohio State, and will probably cancel at the University of Cincinnati also. I was recently invited to interview at Tulane, and while I would love to take a trip to New Orleans, I will probably turn down the invitation for time and money constraints.
Finally, my aforementioned friend Ting (who is visiting next weekend!) and I were talking a couple weeks ago and decided on a whim to take a trip to China. The current plan is to go for the month of January, but nothing is set in stone yet. More on this next time.
Also, more as a reminder to myself than anything, next time will include a few thoughts on immigration, a few obstacles to catching up with school work, and music. In the meantime, inform yourself.
Currently listening to: "Helpless" by Faith No More
Previous activity: Trying out a new bottle of wine
Next thing on the agenda: Who knows? Not I.
My first interview was on September 26th with the University of Chicago. Having heard some less than savory things about Hyde Park, the area in which the school is, I was mildly paranoid about leaving all of my stuff in my car during the interview with the thought in the back of my mind that my car may be broken into during the interview, as I wasn't sure how the parking situation might be. Ironically enough, the night before the interview, my car was broken into--window busted out and all--in Wicker Park, where I was staying with a friend. Nothing major was stolen; it really was more of an inconvenience than anything else, with my primary concern being that I may have to drive to Pittsburgh in a couple days still without a window. I've always hated driving on highways with the wind blowing in. It drowns out the music! Nevertheless, the interviews (there were three of them at UC) I thought went pretty well, and I think the admissions committee may have been mildly impressed with me for not flipping out regarding the break-in. I've yet to hear from the school, though, in regards to whether or not I've been accepted, rejected, or placed on a waitlist. I should be hearing something from them in the near future. The Chicago trip was great, despite the break-in. I was able to hang out with my good friend Naynay and old buddy Ryan while in Chicago, and was able to swing by Notre Dame to see my friend Ting on my way home.
The second interview was a few days later at the University of Pittsburgh, a school that I've been quite excited about from the beginning. The interviews all went pretty well, with the exception of one, which was fantastic. It turns out that the assistant dean of admissions, with whom I had one of my interviews, is a big fan of Tool and actually went to their concert in Pittsburgh a few days before the interview. I, having attended my fifth Tool show only a week or so before, was more than happy to talk to her about Tool for about 20 minutes. I felt great about my chances afterward, needless to say, and I've since been accepted, about which I'm absolutely thrilled. While in the city, I was able to visit my friend Danielle and her husband Aaron--I had driven to Maine in June to be at their wedding.
The third interview was with St. Louis University, a school that I've kind of considered my back-up from day one. The interview went well, and honestly, the group of interviewees was really great. It made the day much more enjoyable. I met up with my family, minus my older brother who is of course in California now, which was nice. I've since been accepted here, though I turned down the acceptance after hearing the good word from Pittsburgh.
The fourth and fifth interviews were combined into one trip: first at UPenn in Philadelphia and next at NYU in Manhattan. I loved UPenn. It's probably my first choice overall at this point, and it'll be difficult for anyone to top it. The interviews went pretty well, especially the student interview, but I won't hear from them one way or the other until March at the earliest. Philadelphia was also very nice. I've been there before, but did not really have the opportunity to truly experience the city. I had the opportunity this time around, and was very pleasantly surprised by it. I stayed with my old friend Karla from nerd camp back in the day; she's doing her PhD in Immunology at UPenn now. I was also able to catch up with my college friend Scott, who is at UPenn for his MD/PhD, and my Uncle Mike. Afterward, I hopped a train to Manhattan and was able to catch up with my friend Nancy, who's getting her MD at Cornell on the Upper East Side, and her boyfriend Rick, who's getting his MD at NYU. I was staying with Rick, who made for a really good host, and the location was very convenient for the interview. I liked NYU more than I thought I would, though, admittedly, I didn't know much about it prior to getting there. The interview went very well, and I should hear from them as early as December.
So that's where things currently stand. After hearing from Pittsburgh, I cancelled my interviews at the University of Missouri and Ohio State, and will probably cancel at the University of Cincinnati also. I was recently invited to interview at Tulane, and while I would love to take a trip to New Orleans, I will probably turn down the invitation for time and money constraints.
Finally, my aforementioned friend Ting (who is visiting next weekend!) and I were talking a couple weeks ago and decided on a whim to take a trip to China. The current plan is to go for the month of January, but nothing is set in stone yet. More on this next time.
Also, more as a reminder to myself than anything, next time will include a few thoughts on immigration, a few obstacles to catching up with school work, and music. In the meantime, inform yourself.
Currently listening to: "Helpless" by Faith No More
Previous activity: Trying out a new bottle of wine
Next thing on the agenda: Who knows? Not I.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Updating the schedule
Having received an interview invitation from good ol' Mizzou, and having scheduled my interview with NYU while rescheduling with OSU, here is an update of the travel schedule:
Sept 21 - Tool concert in Columbus
Sept 26 - University of Chicago (Pritzker) interview
Sept 29 - University of Pittsburgh interview
Oct 3 - St. Louis University interview
Oct 7 - friends' wedding in Columbus
Oct 13 - University of Pennsylvania interview
Oct 16 - New York University interview
Oct 30 - University of Missouri interview
Nov 1 - Ohio State University interview
Interviews that I have not yet scheduled but have been invited to: Vanderbilt University
Schools that have put me "on hold": University of California - San Diego
Applications I've yet to finish: Duke University, Emory University, University of Washington
In other news, don't get into a discussion of immigration policy in a class titled "Cultural Diversity in American Film." It will inevitably be the most uninformed debate in which you'll ever participate.
Sept 21 - Tool concert in Columbus
Sept 26 - University of Chicago (Pritzker) interview
Sept 29 - University of Pittsburgh interview
Oct 3 - St. Louis University interview
Oct 7 - friends' wedding in Columbus
Oct 13 - University of Pennsylvania interview
Oct 16 - New York University interview
Oct 30 - University of Missouri interview
Nov 1 - Ohio State University interview
Interviews that I have not yet scheduled but have been invited to: Vanderbilt University
Schools that have put me "on hold": University of California - San Diego
Applications I've yet to finish: Duke University, Emory University, University of Washington
In other news, don't get into a discussion of immigration policy in a class titled "Cultural Diversity in American Film." It will inevitably be the most uninformed debate in which you'll ever participate.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Wisdom from a Shaved Head
A thought crossed my mind recently. Yes, just one. After shaving my head this past May, I have yet to be around too many other individuals with shaved heads. However, I believe it is for the better: if too many shaved heads are seen together, people begin to suspect them to be unsavory characters. A shaved head becomes a Skinhead, with all the connotations that come with it. Remember this nugget.
Also, I hope everyone is tuning in to VH1 tonight at 10pm Eastern for Flavor of Love. This should prove to be an earth-shaking episode, with New York having re-entered the competition for Flav's heart. Last week, when the infamous New York was placed in charge of the house and was to help Flav with that episode's elimination, I found myself repeating uncontrollably, "Oh my gosh, she's such a crazy bitch!" My mouth is certainly one of the cleaner mouths you'll encounter (excluding those of dogs, who have supremely clean mouths), but the woman's irrational knee-jerk antics propelled the utterance instinctively from my tongue. Watch, and you will be convinced of this. Yeahhhh boyyyyyyyy!
Currently listening to: "Chinese Translation" by M. Ward
Previous activity: Researching Mexico's immigration policy
Next thing on the agenda: More research until Flavor of Love
Also, I hope everyone is tuning in to VH1 tonight at 10pm Eastern for Flavor of Love. This should prove to be an earth-shaking episode, with New York having re-entered the competition for Flav's heart. Last week, when the infamous New York was placed in charge of the house and was to help Flav with that episode's elimination, I found myself repeating uncontrollably, "Oh my gosh, she's such a crazy bitch!" My mouth is certainly one of the cleaner mouths you'll encounter (excluding those of dogs, who have supremely clean mouths), but the woman's irrational knee-jerk antics propelled the utterance instinctively from my tongue. Watch, and you will be convinced of this. Yeahhhh boyyyyyyyy!
Currently listening to: "Chinese Translation" by M. Ward
Previous activity: Researching Mexico's immigration policy
Next thing on the agenda: More research until Flavor of Love
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Toy of the Century
How many times have you found yourself clinching your fist, yelling to the skies, "If only I had a flying screaming monkey that I could slingshot at will!" This all-too-common dilemma has finally been rectified. I just purchased a fleet of five slingshot flying screaming monkeys. I'm quite excited about this purchase, whose selling point was obviously:
I've been lazy and procrastinating all day, which means tomorrow must be especially productive. I'm hoping to both start and finish a paper for my North American Politics course as well as to finish my Vanderbilt secondary, so I can finally schedule my interview with them. As they're on rolling admissions, I should have done this long ago. Upon completion of this secondary, I will post excerpts from the autobiography it is requiring me to write.
As an added bonus, every time you shoot him, he lets out two loud monkey calls. We don't know why he does this, he just does.Now, naturally, slingshotting five flying screaming monkeys myself would be a pretty tall order; cast out your assumption of a flying screaming monkey Napoleon complex on my part. A number of these are intended as gifts--amazing gifts sure to please. And, as was noted in a conversation with my friend Becky, how can a flying screaming monkey not live up to a 3.99 value?
I've been lazy and procrastinating all day, which means tomorrow must be especially productive. I'm hoping to both start and finish a paper for my North American Politics course as well as to finish my Vanderbilt secondary, so I can finally schedule my interview with them. As they're on rolling admissions, I should have done this long ago. Upon completion of this secondary, I will post excerpts from the autobiography it is requiring me to write.
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