Tuesday, September 27, 2011

F.I.N.O

 Only two weeks ago I was wishing for school to start again because the three months off seemed like an eternity. However, be careful what you wish for. It is not the seven different classes I am taking, the weekly quizzes or the time constraints of it all. It is getting my mind and a daily routine established to the new chaos of this journey. It is freaking me out that books and papers are already in piles on the table, shelf and floor, I need to take a deep breath, get organized and remember.

Remember that this is doable and that hundreds have done it before me, feeling the same stressful feeling of what the hell did I get myself into.

One instructor said to take the philosophy of Failure Is Not an Option. I like that mentality and will fight through until I find my new routine.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Finally

Finally school is starting tomorrow, well at least orientation for new grad students will be tomorrow. Because I really need something different to focus on outside of the generalized bullshit and daily activities that have been going on around me. Ten years ago I never would have thought it, but I am actually looking forward to learning and filling my head with subjects like physical examinations, psychiatry and advanced pathophysiology.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Minnesota, you have to love it

Don't know who the author was, but having spent 15 years in MN and considering it home away from home, it must be a someone who can laugh at themselves because they know the State and people too well.

In case you didn't know...

Minnesota became the 32nd state on May 11, 1858 and was originally settled by a lost tribe of Norwegians seeking refuge from the searing heat of Wisconsin 's winters.

Minnesota gets its name from the Sioux Indian word "mah-nee-soo-tah," meaning, "No, really... They eat fish soaked in lye."

The state song of Minnesota is "Someday the Vikings will... Aw, never mind."

The Mall of America in Bloomington , Minnesota covers 9.5 million square feet and has enough space to hold 185,000 idiot teenagers yapping away on cell phones.

Madison , Minnesota is known as "the lutefisk capital of the world." Avoid this city at all costs.

"The Mary Tyler Moore Show" was set in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and was Mary's first real acting job since leaving the "Dick van Dyke Show. The show about a single woman's struggle to find happiness in the big city was originally titled "Life Without Dick," but that was changed for some reason.

Downtown Minneapolis has an enclosed skyway system covering 52 blocks, allowing people to live, work, eat, and sleep without ever going outside. The only downside to this is that a Norwegian occasionally turns up missing.

Cartoonist Charles M. Shultz was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and grew up in St. Paul. He was the only artist to accurately depict the perfectly circular heads of Minnesota natives.

The Hormel Company of Austin, Minnesota produces 6 million cans of Spam a year, even though no one actually eats it. Spam is a prized food in Japan & Hawaii--Spam sushi!!

Minnesota license plates are blue & white and contain the phrase "Blizzards on the 4th of July - you get used to it."

Frank C. Mars, founder of the Mars Candy Co. Was born in Newport, Minnesota. His 3 Musketeers candy bar originally contained three bars in one wrapper, each filled with a different flavor of nougat - chocolate, Spam and lutefisk.

Tonka trucks continue to be manufactured in Minnetonka, Minnesota, despite the thousands of GI Joe dolls killed by them annually in rollover accidents. No airbags, no seat belts. These things are deathtraps, I tell ya!

Author Laura Ingalls Wilder was raised at Walnut Grove, Minnesota, and was famous for writing the "Little House" series of books, as well as inventing the "Spam diet" which consists of looking at a plate of Spam until you lose your appetite. Much like the "lutefisk diet."

The snowmobile was invented in Roseau , Minnesota to allow families a means of attending 4th of July picnics.

Minnesotans are almost indistinguishable from Wisconsinites. The only way to tell them apart is to ask if they voted for Mondale in '84.

Now... it is up to you to forward this to all your friends. If one of them does not forward it to others, he/she will be given an entrance pin to attend the Eelpout Festival in Walker, MN, February 18-20, 2012.

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Now, COLD is a relative thing

65° outside
Arizonans turn on the heat.
People in Minnesota plant gardens.

60° outside
Californians shiver uncontrollably.
People in Minnesota sunbathe.

50° outside
Italian & English cars will not start.
People in Minnesota drive with the windows down.

40°
Georgians don coats, thermal underwear, gloves, and wool hats.
People in Minnesota throw on a flannel shirt.

35°
New York landlords finally turn up the heat.
People in Minnesota have the last cookout before it gets cold.

20°
People in Miami all die.
Minnesotans close their windows.

Zero°
Californians fly away to Mexico.
People in Minnesota get out their winter coats.

10 below zero:
Hollywood disintegrates.
The Girl Scouts in Minnesota are selling cookies door to door.

20 below zero:
Washington DC runs out of hot air.
People in Minnesota let their dogs sleep indoors.

30 below zero:
Santa Claus abandons the North Pole.
Minnesotans get upset because they can't start the snowmobile.

40 below zero:
ALL atomic motion stops.
People in Minnesota start saying..."Cold enough for ya?"

50 below zero:
Hell freezes over.
Minnesota public schools will open 2 hours late

Monday, September 12, 2011

Watson, come quickly...


Remember the attention IBM received when they put their supercomputer up against previous Jeopardy winners and it beat them severely. Well it appears the supercomputer nicknamed Watson has found a new job with a major health insurance company, WellPoint.

Taking test results, medical history and all other information about the patient, the computer can make a diagnosis and treatment plan in approximately 3 seconds. Supposedly, this will be only another tool to help make decisions. I think it could be a good tool and talking to a computer might be an improvement on some doctors bedside manner.

However, dig a little deeper and you find there is also a plan for the computer to take into consideration the patient’s financial situation. Remember this is a for profit health insurance company that will be using this machine. So does anyone think for a second that a treatment plan for someone who is homeless versus someone who is financially well off will be the same?

This reminds me of a time when they said machines and computers will never replace humans on assembly lines or in manufacturing.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Picture of the Day

How to ruin a maple long john

Shopping in Hopkins Minnesota last week and I had a craving for a donut, and sometimes a maple long john is one that I prefer. However, upon approaching the display case this is what I saw and lost my appetite for all sweets. The concept might have been good because warm bacon goes so well with warm pancakes and syrup, but a cold donut with cold bacon on top just didn't do it for me.